


Fanganronpa: Return to Hope's Peak Academy

by thatoneguy22



Series: Fanganronpa: The Series [1]
Category: Danganronpa
Genre: Fangan Ronpa, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-10-01 16:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 69,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10193861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoneguy22/pseuds/thatoneguy22
Summary: A new killing game has arised. But which of these students, if any of them, is responsible?





	1. Prologue: Part I

“This is it!” I say in excitement, sporting a grin. I stood in front of the school. Hope’s Peak Academy! The most amazing school in the entire world. This high school was filled with the elite of the elite. A school of hope and talent. Oh, I should probably introduce myself, huh?

I’m Wayne Little. The school’s official title for me is SHSL Fencer. Although I’m going to a school like this, I’m rather...average. I mean, even my clothes are average. Grey jacket, messy hair with bangs that were swept across my forehead, jeans, and red tennis shoes. Of course, my talent wasn’t average! Most kids couldn’t fence like I could! Most of my things were already in the school, having been sent here before my arrival.

I had my saber in one hand though. I wanted to make sure it got here safely with me. My fellow classmates had talents just as interesting, if not more, than mine. From what I could find, I’d be in class with some cool people. A cosplayer that has won thousands of contests. A track runner that could top 20 miles easy. A boxer that has won several competitions. Such amazing people. It was really exciting knowing I’d get to be in class with people in these.

Still, my hand fiddled with the trinket around my neck. As exciting as this was...it was also nerve-racking. A bad first impression could ruin everything for me. My hand’s grip tightens on the saber. I couldn’t let thoughts like that worry me! I need to treat this like one of my matches. Stay calm and focused. Don’t show signs of weakness or nervousness.

I take a deep breath and let it out. “I can do this...” I take the first steps past the gate. There was something immediately wrong. My head was pounding. Everything felt faint and distant. My vision swirls and becomes disorientated. “Wh-What..?” I black out. Already, everything was going wrong.

 

——————

I groan softly as the world comes back to me. I sit up a little...wait, why was I sitting? I look around. I was now sitting in a chair in a classroom. It seemed pretty average...sort of. Several desks were in the room. A chalkboard on one end and a door on the side. But the windows were bolted shut with massive metal plates. A security camera sat in the corner of the room. It felt like someone was watching. There was something else very interesting here.

I look down at the desk. “Huh?” A pamphlet sat on the desk, next to where my head had been. I grab it and open it up, reading it. It was handwritten but the writing was sloppy. Like a child had made it. There was a picture but it was so poorly made and colored, it was impossible to tell what it was that has been drawn.

I read the note out loud to myself. “Welcome to a new semester of Hope’s Peak Academy. Please meet in the gym with your fellow classmates at 8:00 am.” I look up at the clock. “8:05! I’m late!” I get up and leave the room quickly.

It took me some time to find the gym. This school was like a maze...and several of these rooms seemed to be locked off. But I needed to find the gym, so it’s not like those rooms mattered at the moment. I finally got to the gym doors at least. I walk through the trophy room and stop in front of the gym doors. “Not a single person in this building...weird...” I mutter to myself. I sigh softly and shake the thoughts from my mind. I push open the doors and step into the room.

Fifteen other students were waiting in the gym. All eyes turn to me as I walk in. Being the center of attention all of the sudden was uneasy. “So there was another one,” says a tall boy.

“I think that was the right number! 16! Yep, yep!” a girl exclaims cheerfully. I smile a tiny bit to them. I needed a good introduction.

“I guess you guys are my classmates,” I say, trying to sound confident.

“I suppose we are,” a girl says calmly.

I look around. Everyone seems to have introduced themselves and most had almost instantly lost interest in me by now. I might as well go get to know the others. Despite my lateness, it didn’t seem like anything was happening yet. I guess it couldn’t hurt to go ask around then,

I walk over to the smallest of everyone. Actually...not only the smallest but the youngest. It was just a kid. That was pretty weird...

I stop in front of the boy. I must have been at least a foot or two taller than the kid. He wore a red dress shirt that had a black tie over it and light brown khakis. His brown hair was combed and clean. He also had on a pair of brown shoes and a thin pair of circular glasses. His face seemed to be put in a permanent frown of disinterest.

He looks up at me. “May I help you?” He asks.

I wanted to ask what he was doing in this school but...it seemed incredibly rude. I hold out my hand instead. “My name is Wayne Little. Who are you?” I say.

He looks at the hand and tentatively shakes it. He looks disgusted. “I’m Harold Peters...” His voice was sharp and curt. Not the friendliest person.

“What’s a kid like you doing here?” I ask him finally. I couldn't help it. I was too curious.

Now he scowls. “I’ll have you know I attend this school, you neanderthal! My title is the SHSL Child Prodigy!” He snaps at me.

Wait, now I remember. I saw him in the thread I read about my classmates. A boy with amazing mental capacity. His IQ rose at an amazing rate and he grew intelligent fast. He was advanced in most forms of education. Math, science, history, and anything else that requires critical thinking. The amount of knowledge he had truly made him a genius.

A taller boy walks over. “No need to be so rude, young Harry!” he booms cheerfully. This taller boy was an odd one. He looks a bit similar to Harry. His hair was the same shade of brown and their eyes the same brilliant blue. Other then that, they looked nothing alike. This taller boy wore a large, white smock that draped over his plain brown clothes. His smock was splattered in different colors of paint and clay. In fact...so was the rest of him. It was on his face and arms and hands. It was hard to tell how old any of it was, but it didn’t look wet. His hair, albeit messy, had none in it at least.

Harry grumbles a little. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever Perry.”

The boy, apparently Perry, sighs before looking to me again. “Excuse my young brother, noble knight! Allow me to make my humble acquaintance. I am Perry Peters, the SHSL Artist,” he says to me.

I think I knew who this was now. An art prodigy who grew up drawing. He was skilled in nearly all forms of art. He even had his own gallery with priceless statues and paintings in it. He had it filled with statues and paintings and even some abstract art. I heard everyone saw something different in his art, too.

“Did you see anything on your way here?” Harold asks me abruptly.

“Uh...what do you mean..?” I tilt my head a little.

“People? Students? Faculty? Any sign of life?”

“Uh...just you guys,” I say. “Woke up in a classroom, saw a note, and came here. I didn’t even think about trying any doors...”

Harold and pushes up his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. I could tell he was annoyed with me. Perry puts a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I am sure there is nothing to worry about!”

I look up at him. He gives a bright smile. The yellow paint near his mouth probably made it brighter. “Let us depart now! You have many more friends to meet yourself with! And do not let your art go to waste, for we all have art to share! Come, young Harry!” he says happily. Perry leads his little brother away.

I smile a bit and turn to walk off. I crash right into another boy. He yelps and stumbles a bit, but managed to keep his balance. He seemed to be a bit taller than Perry. His hair was black and looked like it was in an endless bedhead. His hoodie and shoes were also black, but he wore a normal pair of blue jeans. His skin was extremely pale, almost white. He had dark rings under his eyes like he didn't sleep much.

“I’m really sorry!” I say quickly as this boy recovers his composer.

“Hey, it’s alright,” he says calmly. “It was bound to happen with my luck.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Rick Dallas. SHSL Luckster.”

I shake his hand. I knew him. He was the SHSL Luckster for a reason. I wasn’t able to find a whole lot about him, just that he got into this school by lottery thanks to his incredible luck. They held the lottery for every class entering and students all over the world can enter. He seems like a pretty nice guy.

He rubs the back of his head and forced a smile. “So I didn’t hurt you or anything, did I?”

I shake my head. “No, not at all. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Hey,” A cold voice spoke to both of us and we look over. There was a boy standing behind Rick. He was shorter than Rick but still taller than average. He had messy light brown hair and freckles decorated his emotionless face. He wore a baggy green long sleeve, with the sleeve looking soft and white in color. His jeans seemed normal and his green tennis shoes were plain.

“The two of us were having a conversation.” I couldn’t tell who that targeted toward, but he didn’t sound happy regardless.

“A-Ah, I’m sorry, Patrick!” Rick says quickly. “I was just trying to apologize to the new guy!”

I could feel Patrick’s eyes lock onto me now. “You’re Wayne Little, right? SHSL Fencer?”

I blink. “Uh...yeah, that’s me. I’m guessing you did some research, too?”

Patrick grunts softly and looks away again. I don’t think he was all that interested in me. “...Patrick Morris. SHSL Cosplayer.”

I remember reading about him. He has been displaying his cosplay for years now. He enters competitions every year around the world and wins each one. His cosplay are top of the line, some even made out of metal or anything that is needed. He pays for them with his winnings from other competition. Still...there was something off about him. There was a strong standoffish aura coming from him that made me uncomfortable.  
I smile anyway. “Well, it’s nice to m–”

“Shut up,” he says abruptly. “I was talking to someone else.”

Right...I could see when I wasn’t wanted. Might as well leave him in peace.

I sigh and turn to see a girl. She wore a green shirt and a jean jacket that was half zipped up. Her pants were yellow and her shoes pink. Her hair was tied back in a large ponytail with a pink scrunchie. She gives a wide smile and waves. She holds up a notebook with a name illustrated on it wonderfully. It read _Sasha Davis_

I knew that name. Sasha was a popular artist on the internet. She makes silly comics or comics about her life. She has millions of fans around the world. She one of the biggest names on the Internet. She turns the page. This one read _SHSL Comic Artist_.

Now I remember! I had seen her name on the list as well. One thing I remember reading is that she is mute. Why though, it did not say. But that would explain why she hasn’t said anything.

A boy was with her. He had black hair kept tidy and a pair of thin glasses sat on his nose. He wore a blue blazer and tan slacks. He also had dark brown shoes. His entire outfit looked expensive. This one was recognizable as well.

Jamie Dawson, a well-known child author. He’s written hundreds of books in nearly every genre. He was incredibly wealthy and sources say he is a bit...cynical and rude. So positivity wasn’t really his thing.

Sasha makes some hand gestures to him and he seems to understand them. He nods before turning his attention to me. “I assume you know my name, but I might as well state it anyway. I am Jamie Dawson, the SHSL Author.” He said it so boastfully and proudly.

I nod. “Yeah, I’ve read some of your work.” the two are suddenly shoved away by another student.

“I hope it was more than once,” he says. “You don’t just understand my writing with one reading. It’s best to go over it several times to really understand it.”

Sasha jabs him in the side with her elbow. Clearly, the this wasn’t the first time this had happened

I smile, although I felt I was forcing it a little. “I guess when I have time I can r–” Both were shoved out of the way before I could even finish my sentence.

A taller girl stood in their place. She was...red. Long, red hair, red dress, red heels, red lipstick, red blush and eyeshadow, even her eyes were red. She was another famous face. Francine Grand, an actress that has been on TV ever since her debut as Juliet in a popular Romeo & Juliet adaptation. She’s in all kinds of movies and has amazing skill. She can change her emotions in an instant and adapt to any characters.

“No one is interested in you losers!” She boasts. “He wants to meet me! Francine Grand! The SHSL Actress!” Her voice was loud and exaggerated. I back up a little bit. She was kind of intense...

“Oh, well uh...I was actually talking to Sasha and Jamie...” I mumble softly.

Her face suddenly turns into an angry frown. “You would rather talk to THEM than ME? A Hollywood celebrity!? The absolute nerve of you!”

“I-I didn’t say that! But you just...kind of shoved them...” I look at the two. Sasha was picking her notebook up off the floor and Jamie was adjusting his glasses.

“Don’t make me waste my time on you!” she demands. “My time is precious! I could be using it talking to people that actually want to speak to me!”

“Hold on, you’re getting it all wrong!” I demand.

“Oh, so now I’m lying?!”

“No, I didn’t say th–”

She slaps me and storms off before I could finish. That...was an experience.

A girl is a bright yellow sundress walks over. Despite this, she wore a pair of brown pants under it and old tennis shoes. Her skin looked like porcelain and delicate to the touch. Her hair was jet black and long, tied into a ponytail that was draped over her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” she asks, gently cupping my chin and looking at my cheek.

“I-I’m fine,” I tell her, pulling away from her a bit.

She gives a relieved smile. “Ah, good!” Seeing her happy felt...nice. It was like being bathed in sunlight.

“My name is Jessica Winters, but everyone calls me Jess. I’m the SHSL Babysitter,” she says.

I remember reading about her. A girl that is said to be able to tame any child. Even the fussiest and rude kid could be calmed by her radiating pleasant aura. She tends to babysit the children of famous people of course, but she'll gladly take care of any kid. She’s just a nice person in general.

“Thanks for the concern, but I promise I’m fine.” I didn’t want to worry her over something this trivial.

“Well, as long as you’re okay, I’ll be on my way!” She smiles and walks off. I smile a bit, too.

So far my classmates were a very...colorful cast. But I was hoping we could all get along. I didn’t want to spend the school year fighting with them or anything...


	2. Prologue: Part II

I soon join with a small group of athletic kids. Four of them in total. “Hey, hey, hey!” says a girl happily. She had on a pair of blue running shorts and a white tank top with a yellow star design in the corner. Her running shoes were top of the line stuff. Her red hair was smoothed back as if constantly caught in the wind. She also had on two fuzzy wristbands. She hops over, seemingly full of energy. She takes my hand and shakes it. “I’m Bet-Bet-Beeeetty Fritz, SHSL Track Star!”

I definitely remember her. A girl with amazing amounts of energy. She’s spent nearly her whole life running and could top 20 mph with ease. She holds the current record for fastest human alive. At such a young age, it was no wonder she was her with the rest of us.

She finally stops shaking my hand, still smiling wide. “I’m Wayne Little,” I say to the group. “The SHSL Fencer.”

The other girl smiles. “Aha, another athlete!” I look at her. She was kind of tall but also really well toned. She wore an old tattered tank top and sweatpants, both looking a little small for her and a pair of old looking sandals. She had on brown boxing gloves at the moment. Her blond hair was tied up in a ponytail. They all looked like hand-me-downs. “I’d shake your hand but I’d probably crush it. I’m Nancy Clark, SHSL Boxer.”

I already knew who she was too since I watched her games so often. She’s won competitions for years now. She’s considered unbeatable. Her favorite opponents are guys that seem stronger than her. In the ring, she’s considered Nosebleed Nancy for being able to take out her competition with a solid punch to the nose.

“I’m a huge fan!” I say quickly, grinning. I can't believe she got to be my classmate! This was amazing!

She grins too. “Great! Think we can spar some time then?” she asks.

I quickly shake my head. “No thanks. I don’t really feel like having any of my bones broken,” I say.

She pouts. “Man, you’re no fun.” She hits my arm. It was supposed to be playfully, but it hurt a lot. I just try not to yell out and ignore the sudden pain. 

“No need to get rough,” a boy says. He wore a light blue soccer jersey and shorts to go with the uniform. He had on a pair of cleats and knee-high socks. He had curly black hair and a bandage in his leg and elbow. He looks at me and smiles, a soccer ball under his arm. “Anyway, my name is Tate Oswall. I’m the SHSL Soccer Player, but that was probably obvious.”

I could have guessed that just by looking him over. He was known to be one of the greatest soccer players to ever live. While he gets offers to join actual teams for lots of money, he always declines. He’s happy with his team from back at home. His skill was unbeatable but he was always so modest about it. He never really accepted compliments.

The last boy hasn’t said much. He wore camouflage pants, hat, and jacket and black boots. He wore orange-tinted goggles on the hat. He had a paintball gun strapped on his back like a backpack. He had a very uninterested look on his face like everyone was just boring him.

“It’s uh..nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand but I was a tiny bit nervous of him.

He looks at it and then shakes my hand. “Ike Travis. SHSL Paintballer.”

A boy who’s spent the better half of his life in the local paintball arena. He’s used as a marketing ploy. No one can beat him and everyone wants to try. When it comes to this game, he’s like a ninja. I decided I liked this group, but I needed to go meet the others.

“Be careful around him!” Betty says. “He’ll shot you down like a Call of Duty geek!” I look at her then back to Ike. I nod a tiny bit. He seemed to be annoyed.

“Well, I’ll...be sure to keep that in mind,” I say. “We’ll have to chat more later though.”

“Definitely!” Nancy says, hitting her fits together. “And we’re gonna spar one day, just trust me!”

“...good luck, man,” Tate says to me.

I nod softly and head off to meet some others.

I nearly bump into two people holding hands. A boy and a girl. The boy was short and chubby. His brown hair was a little too long and was going over his eyes. He wore a T-shirt and brown suspenders connected to his pants of the same color. He also had a tool belt and work boots.

The girl was about his size. She had on a pair of gardening gloves. Like her torn jeans and green tank top, they were covered in dirt. She also wore boots, but they seem to be for the rain. They were a bright yellow and rubber. Her red hair had flowers in it here and there and her freckled face was smiling.

They notice me finally. “Oh, hello,” the boy says. “I didn’t see you there.”

The girl nods in agreement. “We were just busy talking,” she says. “Anyway, my name is Rita Castles. School calls me the SHSL Gardener!” She beams proudly.

The boy smiles at her then look back to me. “And I’m Tyler Oak. I’m the SHSL Carpenter!” he says happily.

 

These two were interesting. Rita knows expansive knowledge of growing any plant. From bushes to trees to even weeds. She helps keep her town’s many different crops living and the nearby forest lush and full of life. She’s considered Daughter Nature in her town and wears the bear like a badge of honor.

Tyler, on the other hand, is an expert in carpentry. He can build a house’s foundation entirely on his own in just two days and supply it with furniture in another. His craft was an art to him, but it had said he almost never made anything for himself. Both were complete experts in their crafts. And it seems they were also a couple. They lose interest in me rather fast, going back to paying attention to each other. I frown a bit and move on.

There was one student left. A girl who wore a white jacket with a black shirt under it. She wore a pink skirt with heels to match and black leggings. Her hair was blonde and draped down past her shoulders and covered one eye. She had a very serious look on her face. Not even a hint of a smile. It was pretty intimidating.

 I clear my throat as I approach her and she looks over. “I’m Wayne Little. The SHSL Fencer,” I say to her.

She studies me and nods. “Cassidy Wells,” she says simply. Her voice was sharp and cold. She was clearly the type of person who did not make friends. I also didn’t recognize her name. I hadn’t seen her during my small amounts of research. Odd, but expected, I guess. I decide not to question her about it and smile.

 

“I guess we’re here for our arrival to the school,” I say.

She nods. “Yeah,” she says simply. Not much of a talker. I decide to take in my surrounds a bit now that I had talked to everyone.

There was a large stage on the furthest part of the room. Massive windows used to be here...but they too were bolted down with metal plates. There was a set of bleachers and another security camera here, along with a monitor.

I end up joining up with the athletes again and chatting with them. They all seemed pretty nice and I definitely liked spending time with them already. But everyone here seemed pretty nice. Everyone broke off into their own little groups or pairs pretty fast if they weren’t already in one. Only Cassidy remained alone, off to the side and watching.

The monitor in the room flickers to life while everyone was talking or relaxing and we all look at it. A fuzzy, non-human figured filled the screen.

“Ahem! Could all of the students please report your attention to the stage! Your headmaster is about to greet you.” And the announcement ends.

That was weird. Did we need an announcement for that? Everyone looks to the stage.

“Finally, we can get this show on the road!” Tate says.

“Oh, what if our headmaster is, like, the SHSL Model or something?” Francine swoons, imagining something that made her already red cheeks turn even redder.

There’s a small rumble from the stage and something flies up into the air and lands on the podium. It was...It was a monochrome teddy bear?! Was this a joke?!

This bear was divided into two colors, black and white. It's left half was white and looked rather normal. The black half on the right had razor sharp teeth and a glowing red eye.

“Is...Is that a teddy bear..?” Jess asks, confused.

Francine scowls. “Hey, you’re not a model!” she snaps. I feel like she would have said that no matter who walked on stage.

The bear hops up onto its feet and everyone gasps. It can move! “I’m not a teddy bear!” He roars at us. “I am Headmaster Monokuma, the principal of your school!”


	3. Prologue: Part III

Patrick looks unamused. “What kind of joke is this?” His tone sounded annoyed but I felt like anger bubbled below the surface.

“Joke?” The bear, apparently Monokuma, asks. “This isn’t a joke! I’m telling you the truth!” Now he seemed even angrier. “Since you’re all such disrespectful children, I’m going to tell you the truth! No sugar coating added! Even if it's delicious with it! You little shits aren’t going to be having a hope filled time here at this school. Instead, you’re be participating in...a mutual class killing game!”

Everyone was silent. Then Patrick’s face turns into an enraged scowl. No one could stop him as he suddenly rushes up and grabs Monokuma. “Alright, the jokes over!” He holds up the bear and starts to shake him around. “I got your stupid toy, everyone! Good job trying to scare the new kids! Now come out!” he yells out angrily. We all watch him quietly.

Monokuma struggles. “You are harming the headmaster! That’s against school regulations! Activating defensive procedures!” He then goes silent except for a high pitched beeping.

Patrick looks at the bear in his hands. Then back to all of us. “See? I told you it was just a stupid joke!” he says triumphantly. The beeping gets louder.

Cassidy’s face flickers with concern. But only for a second. I hardly noticed it. “Throw the bear!” she says quickly.

Patrick looks at her. “What?” He asks.

She scowls. “I said through the damn bear!”

He looks at Monokuma again before turning and throwing it at Tate. “Catch!” 

Tate yells out in panic and kicks Monokuma high up into the air. Just as he soars over all of our heads...Monokuma explodes. Everyone cries out and some duck down.

Patrick was in stunned silence. “I-I almost died...” he mutters softly.

Tate was freaking out, too, hands tugging at his hair. “So did I! Y-You threw a bomb at me!” he shrieks.

The explosion ends and everyone slowly begins to regain their composure. “So...is that the end of the demon?” Perry asks everyone hopefully.

Monokuma pops up on the podium again. “Nope~!” he calls out. Everyone jumps and looks back at him. “Now I believe that is a suitable warning. Do not break the rules or you will be severely punished. In fact, here are all of your rules!” he announces.

Something beeps in my pocket and I pull it out. The others do the same thing. We all held a small, handheld tablet. The seemed to be electronic school handbooks. I turn mine on. My name flashes on the screen before pulling up the newly added rules.

Rule 1. Sleeping outside of the dorms are strictly prohibited unless in specified areas.  
Rule 2. Students cannot harm the headmaster.  
Rule 3. In order to escape, students must kill each other.  
Rule 4. No more than two students may be killed at a time.  
Rule 5. When a student kills, they will become ‘blackened’.  
Rule 6. The ‘blackened’ must get away with murder before being set free.  
Rule 7. More rules may be added is necessary.

I start at my tablet in disbelief. “Is...Is this stuff really for real..?” Nancy says. She looks up at all of us, frightened.

“As real as my black and white tooshie!” Monokuma says. “I wanna see bloodshed! I wanna see death! I don't care how you do it, just kill, kill, kill!” he cheers out excitedly.

“You can’t seriously expect us to just go along with this!” Harold demands. “This is absolutely ridiculous!”

“Someone is going to come and find us!” Nancy yells angrily. “THis is HP fuckin’ A! Everyone always has their eyes on this school!”

“As well as everyone in it,” Jamie adds.

“You really think it’s that simple?” Monokuma asks. “Someone is just going to come save you all and this nightmare will be over in an instant?” His words had a dark ominousness to it. It made me uncomfortable.

“What exactly is that supposed to imply..?” Patrick questions.

Monokuma turns away from us, waving one of his paws absentmindedly. “Nothing, nothing! Just don’t expect anyone to come and save you. The world is a cruel place, after all.”

And then, just like that, he was gone, jumping behind the podium he sprung up from. Ike and Tyler rush up the stage and look behind the podium. We could hear them hitting the floor and podium from behind.

“He’s not here!” Tyler calls out.

“Can’t see where he went either.” Ike says as the two get up.

“So...So this is really happening,” Jess says softly. “We’re really being expected to kill each other?”

No one responds. We all didn’t want to believe it, but that seemed to be the answer. Everything had been going so right. But now it was all going horribly wrong. And we would be the victims of this new fate. That was the moment our hope filled school year turned into a despair oozing game of life and death!


	4. Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair - Daily Life Part I

**Daily School Life - Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair**

Everyone was still completely stunned. We had no idea how to process this new information. “I think we should go look around,” Cassidy finally says. She sounded incredibly calm.

Rick looks at her. “Go look around?! But...But what if--” He’s suddenly cut off by her.

“The bear won’t do us any harm as long as we follow the rules he has set in place for us. It’d ruin his little game,” she says to him. She holds up her tablet, the first rule still shown on the screen.

“This isn’t a game!” Rita yells angrily. “This has to be some kind of sick joke!”

Cassidy begins to walk off, ignoring Rita. “Think of it what you will, but I know when things get serious,” she says to us coldly. She leaves the gym, doors opening and then shutting behind her.

Harold and Perry go to the doors next. “She’s right,” Harold says. “Things are serious now. So let’s at least go investigate our surroundings and see what we have access to.” And then the brothers disappear out the door.

The others begin to leave as well, either alone or with someone else. Soon it was just me, alone in the massive gym. “I guess I should go look around...” I say to myself. I pull up a map on my student handbook, as the little device seems to be called, according to the screen. I head out the doors to investigate the school.

I’m back in the trophy room and decide to take in my surroundings more carefully. On the left is a large trophy case with several bulky, shiny trophies adorning the inside. A gold katana sat on a small stand in the center. It looked fake and useless, so I decide it isn’t worth my time. There was nothing else of interest here, so I leave the room.

Now back in the main hall, I pay more attention to where everything was. There was a staircase near the trophy room. But it was blocked off by a large gate. We weren’t going to get far there. Further down the hall is the Nurse’s Office. Once again, this area was off limits.

“Why are all of these places closed off..?” I grumble. I sigh but continue down the hall.

There was a smaller area out here with a massive pillar in the center. The entrance hall was on the other end so I decide to go look in there. What I find is a small room with a massive door that looked like it belonged to a safe instead of a high school. There was clearly no way of opening it from here. With nothing else of interest, I leave.

The last room down this hall was the A/V room. All I find inside was a few rows of small screens and DVD players with headphones and a large main screen on the very back wall. The rest of the walls had massive boom boxes on them to be used as speakers. With nothing else here, I leave the room and continue on.

There was a pair of red doors at the next turn in the hall. They had a very ominous feeling to them. I didn’t even bother trying to open them. I walk past the two classrooms. I check the one I hadn’t been sleeping in and see nothing of interest. I find the exit of this area. A sign sat next to it and said Despair Hotel. I sigh and walk though.

After looking at my map, it was clear I had entered the main living area. I stood in the main hall. To my right was the cafeteria and kitchen. To my left was the bathhouse, though it too appeared to be off limits. “Wow, we really aren’t allowed to be anywhere,” I grumble under my breath. I head to the cafeteria to check it out.

There was a long table and two smaller tables. There were enough chairs for everyone to sit at and eat their food. I go into the kitchen in the far back. There was a massive fridge here, along with drawers and cabinets filled with different eating ware and a huge pantry. There were racks filled with fruits and vegetables. There was also...Monokuma?!

The bear had appeared out of nowhere on the island counter in the center of the kitchen. “Wait, where did--?!” I begin. But it seems he wasn’t here to listen to my questions.

“As I told the others,” he began, “all food you eat will be replenished by nighttime. So you don't have to worry about starving to death...unless I get bored,” he says. He gives a pleased laugh and hops off the counter, disappearing from sight yet again. I shake my head in disbelief and head out of the area.

On the way to the bedrooms was a laundry room that I give a quick once over. About five washing machines and five dryers were lined up along one wall. Two tables were set up to fold your clothes and there were clothing lines hanging above us for drip drying. One thing I was beginning to notice in every single room was the security cameras and monitors. There was one placed in every room. The feeling of eyes watching me was spine chilling to say the least. 

I push the thought away and leave the room. On the other end of the hall was a large storage closet with an assortment of different things. Going through it would take too long, so I decide to keep stock later.

The bedrooms made a large circling hall. One part of it was for the bathrooms and the trash room. Again, we were cut off from going into the trash room. But there was an incinerator there along with a dumpster.

I leave the room and finally find the bedrooms. There were sixteen in total. Six in one part of the hall and ten in the other with five on either side. Every room was labeled with a name, one for each of us. Mine was in between Betty’s and Patrick’s. I open my door and walk inside to see what it was like.

My room was entirely normal. I had a small bathroom to the side. A large bed and some drawers and cabinets for clothes and other things. There was a small notepad sitting on the cabinets next to my bed. A table sat on one end of the room, near the door. It had my saber case on it! I open it up and take the sword happily. It felt good to be able to hold it again.

I find a note poking out from under the case and read it.

_I left a present for each student. For the girls, there are sewing kits. Do not be afraid to sew a few mouths shut or fingers together. For the boys, there is a toolkit. Please be ready to use it for any despairful things that come to mind._

_Sincerely, Headmaster Monokuma_

I scowl and crumple up the paper, tossing it into the trash can nearby. The toolkit was sitting inside one of my drawers. It was still in the shrinkwrap packaging. I had no use for it right now, so I leave it be. An announcement plays. “Hello students. It is now 10:00 pm. It is official nighttime. Please report to your rooms for bed. Nighty night!” I sigh and lay down in my bed. Not much of a reason to leave now. I’d just talk with the others in the morning. I soon fall asleep for the night.

\------------

I wake up to another annoying announcement. “Good morning! Rise and shine everyone! It is 7:00 am and is officially daytime! Go out and have a beautiful day!” I grumble irritably and climb out of bed. I was not a morning person. I get ready for the day and head out of my room.

I go to the cafeteria now, hoping that’s where some of the others went after waking up in the morning. And I was right. Sasha, Jamie, Harold, Rick, and Betty were all out here. I walk over and join them, sitting at the table.

“How come you aren’t with your brother?” I ask Harold.

He looks up at me. “If you really must know, he is in his room painting,” he explains. He seemed irritated with my question, yet continues on. “Perry’s bedroom at home is extremely colorful and full of life. So he’s busy fixing up his room right now. It’s best if you don’t bother him while he works.”

I just nod a bit and sigh. Betty was pacing around at an alarming speed. “Hey, you okay?” I ask her. 

She nods. “Yep, yep, yep! I’m just pacing. I do that when I’m nervous. This whole thing has me nervous. I mean, where are we anyway? Is there anyway out of here? I didn’t see one. The windows aren’t even real. I just don’t know what to do. Normally running helps clear my mind but I can’t run in this place. It’s not made for running around. There’s just nowhere to run!” She grabs the collar of my shirt. “I need to run man! I can’t handle being stuck inside!” She lets go and returns to her pacing. I smooth out my shirt and decide not to bother her and her odd pickiness for running again.

As we wait, the others begin to show up, one or two at a time. The last to arrive is Perry, some new paint splashed on him here and there. “Now that everyone is here, it’s time for us to discuss what we found,” Cassidy says sharply. Everyone nods in agreement, although Betty’s nodding goes on for a while.

“It seems we’re cut off for a lot of the school,” Jess says. “The staircase, bathhouse, nurse’s office, and trash room are all off limits to us,” she explains.

Ike nods. “Right. But it seems we’re expected to stay here for a long time since we have running water and our food gets replaced everyday,” he adds.

Francine sighs. “So what? We didn’t learn anything useful!” she demands. She sits up more, looking angry.

“Actually, we learned plenty,” Harold replies. “We know the boundaries of our containment and the length of time we’re expected to live here. So we know this is no joke,” he says sternly.

Everyone sits there, feeling gloomy. Then Jess stands up. She had a bright smile on her face. “I am going to make all of us a large cake! Maybe something sweet will help pick up our spirits!” She heads off to the kitchen to begin her cooking.

“I’m not in the mood for sweets,” Cassidy says as she gets up. “I’ll be retiring to my room. Don’t bother me.” She walks off, heels clicking as she leaves.

Francine stands too. “Yeah, I’m on a very strict diet. No cake for me,” she tells us. She leaves as well.

“No cake for me either!” Betty says. “Makes me slow and sluggish! No need for that!” She jogs off. Ike leaves as well without a single word. Nancy heads off without saying anything as well.

Jess eventually walks out with a freshly made cake and a wide smile. Her smile drops a bit when she sees several people have left. “Well...I guess that just means more cake for the rest of us!” She sets down the large cake and gives everyone a plate.

Perry reaches out to take a slice and she smacks his hand. “No! You are going to go wash that gunk off your hands before you eat!” she demands sternly. He pouts but gets up and shuffles off to the kitchen to wash off.

Jess sits down as he leaves and everyone takes a slice. Sasha had a large drawing pad with her and she was doodling in it. I take a peek to see she was drawing all of us. Monokuma was there, tied up on a railroad in the background. I smile a bit.

The sound of Jamie hurriedly writing was heard soon. He had taken a stack of paper, probably from the storage closet, and was writing now. After a quick skim, it appeared to be about our situation. I don’t talk to either of them though, not wanting to disturb them. Besides, no one seemed to be in the mood to talk anyway.

Perry finally leaves the kitchen, his hands mostly cleaned off. It seemed to be good enough for Jess because she lets him take a slice and start eating with the rest of us. We polish off the cake rather easily and everyone goes off on their own to do their own thing. I decide that I might as well get to know my new classmates. Sasha was still in the dining hall, doodling. I sit next to her.

Sasha was currently drawing another comic strip of herself. I tap her shoulder and she looks at me. Then she smiles and flips to a new page. “Yes?” she writes down.

“Oh, I just wanted to come and watch you draw if that’s alright.” She smiles wide and nods happily. I spend some time watching Sasha make some comics. The two of us grew a little closer today. 

I glance up at her and notice something on her neck. A scar. It looked like a pretty clean one, most likely from a surgery. “Hey Sasha, where did that scar come from?” I ask her.

She instinctively puts her hand to her throat as I mention it and begins to write again. _I have a disorder called vocal cord paralysis. It is rather extreme. I had a surgery for it, but it only helped with my breathing and swallowing problems. So it still makes talking impossible._

I was a bit surprised with that. “You had a surgery? When?” I ask her.

She begins to write again. _When I was a kid. About four or so._ She seems to think a second longer before nodding, confirming with herself that she had been four.

“And you haven’t talked since then?” I press on.

She shakes her head. “Wow. Sorry you had to go through that,” I say softly. She shrugs. _Because of it, I started to draw to communicate. It helped me get to where am I today. I honestly thank it._

I smile a little bit. “Well...if it helped you get this far in life, I suppose you have your reasons for being okay with it,” I say to her. She nods happily and then gets up. _I promised Jamie we would hang out. See ya later!_ she writes. She walks off.

I go off on my own soon to talk with someone else. I end up finding Tate in the gym, kicking a soccer ball he had since we got here against the wall and letting it bounce back to him. I clear my throat and he turns to look at me. “Oh, hey there man!” he says cheerily. He kicks the soccer ball again and catches it as it rebounds back. He walks over to me. “Did you wanna hang out?” He asks.

I smile and nod. “Sounds like fun, dude.”

He grins. “Great! We can kick the ball around a bit. I’ll slow down so you can keep up,” he says to me. I spend some time kicking the soccer ball back and forth with Tate. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He picks up the soccer ball. “So, did you find that here?” I ask him, looking to the soccer ball in his hands. He shakes his head. “Nah man, this is mine. I even have it signed,” he brags.

He spins it around and I read the signature scribbled on it. “Wayne Rooney?” I say curiously. The name didn't ring any bells.

Tate smiles and nods. “Yeah! He was part of Manchester United during 2005! I got him to sign a soccer ball for me! It was so awesome dude, he’s one of my favorite players!” he says happily.

Tate seems super excited. Soccer wasn’t really one of my favorite sports. I didn’t watch games and I didn’t even knows the rules that well. But Tate seemed really happy to talk about it and who was I to tell him otherwise?

“Soccer is just such a huge part of my life. I’ve been a big fan ever since I was a little kid like my mom. I joined the school team as soon as I could and played my very best. My parents came to every single one of my games. My mom always cheered the loudest...” he trails off on that last part.

He smiles a bit, seemingly getting lost in memories. Then he snaps back to reality. “I think I’m gonna get going. Betty said she’d play soccer with me. I wanna see what I can do against her speed!” He heads out, seemingly eager to get in a small game of soccer with Betty. I leave too.

I end up finding my way into the A/V room. Harold was sitting at a table with a laptop. I walk over and sit next to him. "Where did you find that?” I ask.

Harold looks up at me, adjusting his circular-rimmed glasses. "It was in the storage room with a few others. Possible school property. I'm trying to see if it withholds any important information,” he says. He gets back to work.

“Mind if I keep you company while you work?” I ask him.

Harold sighs but nods. “Fine, if you must,” he mumbles, waving me off dismissively. I spend time watching Harold try and fail to find anything of use on the laptop. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He shuts it with an annoyed grunt. "Nothing useful. I wouldn't expect Monokuma to give us something like that. It'd ruin his game,” he says in annoyance.

I look at him. "So you really do think that bear is serious?" I ask.

Harold frowns a bit and looks up at me. "Of course I do. We're locked in the most famous school in the world. Not a single living person is here besides us and whoever is controlling that bear. Almost all of us are incredibly famous. We should have been found by now or at least heard some kind of news,” he explains. 

I was silent for a minute as I think over what he said. "Yeah...you're right..." I finally say.

Harold gets up. "I'm always right. Don't ever forget that,” he says simply. He begins to walk off with the laptop but stops. He turns to face me, his glasses shining in the light of the room. “And be careful. Any signs of weakness could cost you your life in a game like this." And with that, he walks off.

I sit there for a moment, still a bit stunned by what Harold said. His words echo in my head for a moment. But that gets interrupted as an announcement plays. “Could all students please report to the gym immediately? I have a very special surprise for you all!” I get up.

“A surprise from Monokuma? This can’t be good...” I walk off to the gym.


	5. Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair - Daily Life Part II

I get to the gym soon. The others were here as well, waiting for the bear. He pops up like last time onto his podium. “Alright, so what do you want?” Francine demands. “I was trying to catch up on my beauty sleep! Although I suppose I don’t need it,” she says. She gets lost in her ego for a moment as Monokuma begins talking.

“As I said, I have a very special surprise for all of you!” He picks up a cardboard box and sets it down. He opens it up. “Everyone come here and take a DVD!” he says.

We all walk up hesitantly and take a DVD, each one had one of our names on it. Monokuma takes the empty box and disappears once again behind his podium. “I suppose we shall watch the gifts bestowed upon us by the demon,” Perry says. Everyone nods in agreement and we all head off to the A/V room. 

I walk in and take my seat at one of the viewing stations. I put on my headphones. I take the DVD out of its case and slide it into the slot, pressing play. The screen flickers to life as the video begins to play.

On the screen I see my parents and my older sister. They were standing in front of my house, a nice two story building in the suburbs. I could see my pool in the background just barely. “Hey there Wayne!” My dad says. “I hope the new school is going well. We all miss you!”

My sister nods. “You gotta tell me all about it when you get home little bro! I bet it’s super cool there! Get ready to see me as the SHSL Kendo Master when we meet next!” She says giddily.

“Please be safe, my little swordmaster,” my mom says sweetly.

I was smiling wide as the video plays on of my family congratulating me. I soon felt tears start to slide down my face. I was beginning to realize just how much I missed my family.

My smile drops as the video cuts out suddenly, the view of my family disappearing. When it returns, I felt my breath catch in my throat. My family was gone and nowhere to be seen. My house was in shambles. The door was missing. Windows were broken or boarded up. What little I could see of my pool was splashed in blood. The roof was caving in and an entire wall as missing. My hands shook and I grab onto myself to stop them.

“Whatever could have happened to such a loving family?” Monokuma’s voice says. “Could they be safe and hidden away? Or could they be dead..?” The screen cuts out again and red words flash on the screen. **Find out after graduation.** And then it ends. My mind begins to race with all the possibilities of what happened to them.

I get pulled out of my thoughts by a loud scream and a crash. I look over at where it had come from. Jess was standing, her chair lying on its side on the floor. She had her hands clasped over her chest and she was breathing heavily, shaking violently. She looked terrified.

“This...This can’t be real!” she demands. “It must be fake!”

Tate takes off his headphones quickly and moves away from his monitor. “This is fucked up man! This is so fucked up!” he yells.

Francine stands. “I want out!” She screams at no one in particular. “Let me out!”

The others begin to stand and say the same thing, screaming or begging for their release. Cassidy, Harold, and Patrick are the only ones to not do this.

The main screen turns on, showing Monokuma. “It seems you all liked my little surprise! Consider this your first motive!” He cheers happily.

“Motive for what?!” Rick demands.

Monokuma’s grin seems to widen. “Murder of course,” the bear says bluntly. “If you guys want out, I want to see the bodies pile up! So get to work!” And the video cuts off. 

Francine storms off. “I’ll find that bear and I’ll rip his FUCKING head off!” She screams. Jess and Perry chase after her to calm her down. Jamie leads Shash out. Tyler wraps an arm around Rita’s shoulders and leads her away. Patrick, Harold, and Cassidy all walk out, calm as ever. The others eventually file out as well.

I stayed where I was until the nighttime announcement played. I head to my room quietly, not talking to anyone I passed by in the halls.

I have some trouble falling asleep, thought of my family keeping me awake. I prayed they were all safe somewhere. But there was no way I could know what happened to them.

I eventually manage to fall asleep later into the night.

———————

I get woken up by the morning announcement and get ready for the day. There’s a knock on my door almost right after I wake up and I go open it. Jamie was standing there. He seemed serious.

“From now on, everyone will be meeting in the morning for breakfast. We agreed on it last night, but you had gone to bed by then,” he tells me.

I nod a bit. “Oh, uh, okay!” I say.

He walks off and I soon follow after him. Him, Sasha, and Rick were already awake and eating their breakfast.

Betty was soon to join us. She doesn’t sit though, she just walks circles around the table after grabbing a granola bar from the kitchen. Jess, Harold, and Perry were the next to join us. After a little while, another group joins us. Tate, Nancy, and Patrick. Patrick’s latest outfit was of Michael Myers from the Halloween series. The last ones to meet up with us are Cassidy, Francine, and Ike. We all eat our breakfast without talking to each other much. Well, until Patrick says something.

“Don’t you all think it would be wise to share our videos? It might help us deal with what we saw,” he says.

As helpful as the advice sounded, it felt like he was threatening us. The other seemed to have the same uneasiness.

Jess shakes her head. “I would rather not talk about it...” she says softly.

I nod in agreement. “I don’t feel like bringing it up either...” I say. The others begin to mumble their own agreement with what Jess and I said.

“Fine then,” Patrick says, snappy. He gets up, his plate empty. “Then I suppose I’ll be on my way,” he says to us, almost like it was a warning. He puts his dishes in the sink and leaves. The others begin to do the same. I decide to go find someone to spend my time with after I eat my breakfast.

I find Patrick in the laundry room. He had a sewing kit that he seems to have taken from one of the girls and some supplies sitting out. He was making himself some cosplay. I sit down next to him. “Hey there, Wayne,” he says. Having him say my name sent a chill down my spine.

“Hello Patrick...making yourself some new cosplay?” I ask.

He nods. “I found plenty of supplies in the storage closet. Cassidy gave me her sewing kit and I got to work,” he says.

When he was talking about cosplay, there didn't seem to be any underlying meaning to what he said. It was clear he genuinely enjoyed working on it. “Well, can I help you work?” I ask.

He seems to think for a second before nodding. “I’ll make you something,” he says to me. I smile a bit and spend my time getting measured by Patrick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So how did you ever get into cosplay, Patrick?” I ask after some time.

He sets down the outfit he was currently sewing together. “Well, I was about four years old and it was Halloween day. My parents couldn’t get me a costume though. They were far too busy and didn't have the funds. So I went into the attic and found plenty of stuff to make me a Pikachu costume. My parents saw it that night and thought it was amazing.”

It was kind of nice knowing Patrick had parents that supported what he did. I don’t think I’d be where I was now without my family by my side, as cheesy as that might be to say.

“And I actually found myself liking making the costume...from there I just kept going. Halloween is probably my favorite holiday because I can wear my costume without being judged for it,” he says.

He pauses for a moment. For a second I thought he was waiting for me to say something, but that ends up not being the case.

He picks up the half finished costume. “I’ll get this done and give it to you later. I feel like working in my room. Goodbye,” he says. He walks off with it and I give a little wave as he leaves. If I ever talked with him again, I'd make sure it's about cosplay. I leave too.

I end up going to the storage room just to see what kind of stuff they had there. I find Jess and she seemed to be taking stock of everything. I tap her shoulder and she jumps, spinning around. “Oh...it's just you,” she says in relief. I hadn’t meant to scare her.

She sighs in relief and smiles brightly. “Sorry, you just startled me is all,” she reassures.

I chuckle softly. “Whoops, didn’t mean to scare you! So what are you doing?” I ask.

She turns back to the box of tracksuits she had been going through. “I’m just taking stock of everything in this room. Keeps my mind busy,” she says, mumbling the last part.

I nod a bit. “Would you like some help then?” I offer.

She smiles again. “Honestly, that would be wonderful!” she says happily. I spend my time taking stock of the storage room with Jess. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She seemed to be a little upset right now though. She was staring off into space while holding something. I look at it. She was holding a teddy bear. “Hey Jess, is something wrong?” I ask her, a little worried.

She blinks a bit, my voice returning her to reality. She quickly shakes her head. “No, everything is okay! I just...miss the children,” she says. She sets the little bear down.

“The children?” I ask her. “You mean the kids you babysat?”

She nods. “They were such sweet little things. The smile on their faces whenever I would show up made my day! They were like the siblings I never had. Kids are just so wonderful, Wayne! Each one is so special and unique and different. They all have interests and thoughts that are so...so new! So fresh! They’re like blank slates. The world through a child’s eyes is truly a beautiful and wonderful thing. Something that I wish I could experience...”

She sighs softly. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling again. I should get out of your hair. Thank you for spending time with me.” She hugs me and walks out of the room.

I found it a little odd what she said about experiencing it. Did she never have a moment like that herself? I decide not to think about it and leave the room soon after.

I eventually end up getting myself one more thing to eat before heading to my room. But I notice Perry’s door was open as I walk down the hall. I peek my head in.

He had a large suitcase sitting on his bed. It was open and filled with different sizes of brushes. He had some cans of paint, probably from the storage closet. He was currently painting his walls.

His art...it was absolutely beautiful. Every single color and stroke of the brush had its own special hidden meaning to it that seemed to speak to me. I wasn’t able to understand it...but I felt it. I walk over and Perry looks down at me from his step ladder.

He smiles and puts his brush down. “Greetings, noble knight! Are you enjoying my art?” he asks me.

I nod a bit, still stunned. “It’s amazing...” I say softly.

He laughs a bit. “Thank you! Nothing brings joy to me more than giving life to a room!” he says excitedly. He grabs a brush and hands it to me. “Everyone has a story they want to tell through art...would you like to show me yours?” he ask.

I look at the brush and then nod a little, taking it. I spend my time painting with Perry. The two of us grew a little bit closer.

He puts down his brush, his entire wall painted. My contribution wasn’t nearly as amazing as his was and it was easy to point out where I had painted.

But he still smiles wide. “It’s absolutely perfect, noble knight! Thank you for your assistance!”

I give a tiny smile. “It’s not nearly as great as what you did.” Perry shakes his head. “Nonsense. All art is amazing in its own way. Everyone makes art. I use sculptures and paintings and drawings. People like the scroll writer do it with their writing. Or the stage performer and her acting. Or you and the rainbow general and the other warriors with your sports. Everyone is an artist in one way or another...and they might never even realize it.”

That was honestly an interesting way to think about it. Sometimes I forgot that art was more than just painting and sculptures. He didn’t seem to forget something like that, though.  
“  
Never forget that as long as it is something you love, I consider it a form of art! Because art is self expression in its purest form,” he goes on. He begins to pack up his supplies.

“Wow Perry...that was amazing. I’ve never viewed art like that,” I say. There was a beauty to his words when he spoke about art, like he was painting all over again. Perry shuts his suitcase.

“Most people do not. But I’m not most people,” he says, smiling.

We say our good nights and I walk out of his room, smiling and feeling good about myself and what I do. 

I go into my room in higher spirits than before. Talking to everyone here was oddly therapeutic. And I liked learning about the others. Everyone seemed pretty nice. Maybe things would work out well.

I soon fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair - Daily Life Part III

I wake up in the morning like usual to the annoying morning announcements. I groan as I pull myself out of bed. “I don’t know how the others sleep through that,” I say through my yawn. I get ready for the day and head out of my room to go enjoy some breakfast.

Everyone soon shows up. I say with Tate, Nancy, and Ike today. We tried to include Betty in the conversation but she was busy pacing and we didn’t feel like shouting over the table.

The only sound other than us eating and the quiet chatter is Betty pacing around the table as she eats her breakfast. But it was clearly starting to get on people’s nerves. “Could you please stop doing that?!” Patrick demands angrily after some time.

Betty stops walking, now on the other side of the table. She turns on her heels and looks at him. She was clearly pissed. “I absolutely will not stop!” She snaps irritably. “I am a nervous wreck right now! And I can’t run! I need to run and there is nowhere to run here. I have standards and not a single room in this entire school meets them. So if I can’t run, I’ll just have to pace and jog.” Without another word, Betty returns to her endless pacing.

She made sure every single step with her tennis shoes squeaked on the floor.

Patrick simply drops his fork onto his plate and walks out of the cafeteria without a single word, leaving his half eaten plate of eggs behind. “Annoying bitch,” he hisses under his breath as he left.

Harold slams his cup onto the table and leaves, also irritated. Perry chases after his angry brother, shouting at him to wait. The others begin to leave as well, clearly annoyed. Even I get bothered with the sound and leave, letting Betty pace all by herself in the cafeteria.

I end up spotting Francine outside the restrooms. She had a little compact mirror out and was doing her makeup. She finally notices me and closes her compact mirror with a little snap. I look at her. Today she wore a bright red skirt and a red long sleeve with a red jacket. Her makeup was a different shade of red then the last time I had seen it. The only word to describe her...was red. “Hey there sword fighter. You wanna hang out?” She asks me. I’m pretty sure she was trying to be seductive. But I’m not stupid.

Still, I nod in agreement. She is a famous movie star after all. Plus I already knew her, even if she forgot. We spend our time hanging out and chatting. The two of us grew a little closer.

“You really like the color red, huh?” I ask her. She smiles a bit and nods. Her hair seems to bounce a bit as she does.

“Red is just...such a beautiful color,” she tells me. “It symbolizes so many things. Love and lust. Anger. Passion. War,” she gives a pleased sigh as she thinks about the color that has her so entranced. “So many different meanings all wrapped up in one amazing color. I make sure to incorporate it into everything I wear. That’s why I get called ‘The Scarlet Beauty On the Silver Screen’. Of course, I’m not allowed to wear it during every single one of my films but...that’s show business. It’s a lot less painful to go with the flow rather than fight the current...” She frowns ever so softly.

“I could never do what you do,” I mention. “Being in the spotlight makes me too nervous. I can’t handle attention like that well.”

She looks at me. “Aren’t you an athlete? You get washed by people when you play your games, right?”

“Uh...well, yeah, people watch me during my competitions,” I agree. “But that’s different. I can get lost in my game really easily. Tuning stuff out doesn’t really take much when I’m fencing.”

She rolls her eyes and stands up. I think she lost interested in the conversation. “As enjoyable as this was,” she begins, “it certainly didn’t turn out the way I expected. So long for now. Beauty never sleeps,” she say. I knew that was wrong but I say nothing. She walks off, her red hair still bouncing as she did.

I go off on my own again soon after. I heard the practically feverish scribbling of Jamie’s writing coming from the cafeteria. I walk in. He was entirely alone. Betty appears to have left the room by now to go pace elsewhere.

I sit down next to Jamie and look at what he was writing. He continued to be writing about our experiences here and, from what I could read, he seemed to be enjoying his time with Sasha. Although she didn’t appear to be around right now.

Jamie’s writing stops and he looks at me. “Do you need something or do you just enjoy watching people in silence?” he asks. I was a bit taken back by his harsh assertion. But I guess I can’t say I’m too surprised by what he said.

“Actually,” I start, “I was kind of curious to see what you’ve written so far. I just didn’t want to disturb you.”

He seems to stare at me for a minute. I felt like he was looking right into my very soul. It was such an unsettling experience. Then he nods and grabs what he’s written so far. “Of course you may read my manuscript, if you really are that curious,” he tells me. I take the manuscript he hands to me. I spend some time reading it and talking with Jamie about it. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So Jamie, I’m curious about how you ever got into writing,” I say. I look at him to see he was busy getting his manuscript back in order. But he also seemed to be thinking about what I said.

“Well, I guess I’ve always liked writing,” he finally says. “But it started with short story contests. I’d write something up about ten to twenty pages long and submit them. And I win every single time. One day my dad grabbed one of my best short stories and sat it down in front of me. He said that if I could make a twenty chapter book out of it he would give me his next paycheck. And trust me, his paychecks are very generous. So you want to know what I did? I wrote a thirty-three chapter long book and got it published within that week it was finished. And you better believe I got more than his paycheck. And from there I continued writing. I was about eight when that happened,” he boasts.

I was amazed. I had known he started early, but I had no idea it was at such a young age! No wonder he was the SHSL Author with such skill like that. A thirty-three chapter book, though. The more I thought about it, the harder it became to believe. Was he telling the truth?

Jamie finishes getting his manuscript back in order and stands up. “I’ll be on my way. If you want to read more later, just let me know. I’ll be working on this constantly.” And with that, Jamie walks off to his room.

I end up heading to the gym after getting a bite to eat. The sound of feet thumping on the floor could be heard as I opened the door. Betty had finally given into her urges and was running laps around the room. She zooms past me as I open the door.

I was stunned by her amazing speed, but also not surprised. She skids to a stop right in front of me after her third lap around. “Oh, hey, hey, hey!” She chirps happily. “Didn’t quite see ya there buddy! Too busy running! I decided ‘screw standards I need to just run’ and then I just ran! Man it feels good to give my legs a good stretch! Oh, hey! I got an idea! I need to work on my upper body strength too so let me carry you.”

I didn’t even get the chance to respond before she grabbed me. She has me sit on her back piggyback style. She returns to her speedy running. I spend my time being carried by Betty. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She stops running and sets me down. She wasn’t even sweating. “Thanks for the help, Wayne! I need a good exercise run every day but I haven’t run for the past few days so I had to work in three days of running! I feel a hundred thousand million times better now that I’ve gotten all that out of my system! I’ve been running like that ever since I was a little kid and it’s just so much endless fun! The feeling of the air rushing past you and the sound of your feet thudding on the ground is just amazing. The way your muscles burn after a long run is a feeling a love to have. I just love love love love to run! Running is just undoubtedly the best! Oh, it’s getting late. I gotta go, bye Wayne!”

She runs off out the door. I was still trying to process what just happened, but it seems Betty wasn’t the kind of person to have a conversations with. She just rambles on with one thing after another. It was absolutely insane when trying to talk to her. She was just impossible to keep up with in all aspects. And even after all that running, she was still bursting with energy. She must be like that all the time.

I leave the room as nighttime announcement plays. I head off to my room and get in bed. I end up sleeping easily that night. Speaking with the others and getting to know them was relaxing. And I was starting to make my own cliche with the other athletes. It was nice.

It didn’t last like that for much longer.


	7. Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Deapair - Killing Life Investigation

I wake up in the morning feeling like just as tired as ever. I pull myself out of bed and start to get ready for the day...but I notice something was wrong. I look around my room before I’m able to put my finger on it. My saber was missing! I start to go through my room, looking absolutely everywhere for it. But even after turning my room upside down I don’t find it anywhere. “Maybe someone else knows where it is. I must have just left it outside of my room,” I tell myself. I finish getting ready for the day and head out of my room.

Most of the others were already there since I took so long searching my room. I sit down. “Has anyone seen my saber?” I ask the others. Everyone shakes their head or mutters a no.

I sigh, disappointed, and sit down. Patrick was wearing a Batman costume today. Francine was wearing another red dress, made of velvet I think. The last few stragglers, Cassidy and Harold, join us for breakfast. But I notice something else was wrong after a while. There was something else that was missing. The sounds of squeaking tennis shoes pacing around the table. I look around and see no sign of the missing person. That was weird.

“Hey guys?” I ask everyone. “Where is Betty?” The others begin to notice she was missing, too.

They give a quick look around the room just to be sure. No one seemed to have an answer. “Maybe she just didn’t wake up,” Jess says.

That didn’t seem like a good enough answer for Nancy because she gets up. “I’m gonna check on her. Tate, Ike, Wayne, come with me,” she says as she walks off. Tate, Ike, and I look at each other before getting up and following Nancy to Betty’s room. She must have wanted us since we were athletes like her and Betty.

The four of us walk over to her door. It was slightly ajar. The other were quiet and I end up being the one to push the door open and walk into her room.

The bedroom itself seemed completely normal. Nothing was out of place or broken or anything. But there was no sign of Betty. I walk into the room, looking around quietly. The others hang back and let me investigate on my own.

I step into the main part of the room and glance around. Betty’s bathroom door was wide open. I walk over and peek into the room.

Betty was sprawled out on the ground. Glass surrounded her from her broken mirror. She laid in a pool of her own blood, her body covered in stab wounds and my saber poking out of her stomach. I let out a loud scream as I stumble back.

The other three come rushing in and look into the bathroom. An announcement plays as they all crowd around one another to look inside. But I didn’t have to look again to know the truth.

Betty Fritz, the SHSL Track Star, who just yesterday I had seen smiling and running, was now completely, undeniable, irreversibly dead.

**Killing School Life - Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair**

Rita and Tyler were the first ones to get into the room after hearing me scream. “What’s wrong?!” Rita says in the doorway as she walks in. “I heard someone scream!”

She sees everyone crowded around the bathroom and hurries over. “Is Betty hurt? What’s going on?” Tyler follows her over as they shove everyone out of the way. RIta screamed when she say Betty. This caused everyone else to hurry into the room.

I sat on her bed, my face pale and eyes wide. I had never seen a corpse before. Not even of a passing family member. But now I had seen a fresh one of someone who had been alive and well just yesterday. I wasn’t sure how to react.

Questions start to rise up like “What happened to her?” and “Who did this?” and “Why would anyone hurt her?” Questions pour out of everyone. They were all scared and confused. But an announcement plays over all of the chatter and shuts us up.

“It seems someone has finally kicked the bucket!” Monokuma says on the monitor. “Please come to the gym for a class assembly!” Cassidy was the first to head to the door.

“Wh-Where the hell are you going?!” Rita demands angrily. “We can’t just leave Betty her!”

Cassidy stops. “Betty isn’t going anywhere. I think it’s in our best interest to do what the bear says for now. We should avoid making him angry and just follow his orders for the moment.” And then she left.

Everyone was quiet for a bit before Patrick finally left the room. Harold and Perry went after him. I left at some point but I hadn’t been paying all that much attention. I was just running on autopilot.

We all arrive to the gym, now short one member. Monokuma pops up once again and lands on his podium. “You killed her!” I shout as soon as he appears. “I know you did!”

But the bear was unaffected. In fact, Monokuma giggles into his paws. Did he think this was funny? The bear stands up. “Upupupupu! No, I didn’t. One of you did! And just as I was beginning to worry that you all didn’t have the guts to pull it off.” He had a smug grin on his face. It was disgusting.

“But why is everyone still here?” Rick asks. “Someone is dead, shouldn’t the killer have gotten out?” He had his hood up right now, making his face harder to see. He was clearly nervous, I could tell.

Monokuma seemed upset by the question and was about to speak. But Harold steps in. “The rules state that the blackened must get away with the murder before they can graduate. Isn’t that right, Monokuma?” He had just finished reading the rule and slides his ehandbook back into his pocket. He looks up at Monokuma calmly.

The bear was now relaxing again. “Exactly! And you will all be determining who the killer is through a fun little class trial! I’ll give you all a quick run down of the rules. You will all get some time after every murder to investigate the crime scene and determine who the killer is. You will the vote for the killer by majority rule. If you guess right, the killer is punished and the rest of you are allowed to return to your daily school life. However...if you guess wrong, the killer is set free and the rest of you get to be punished!” He seemed really exhausted after saying all that. He sits down and sighs.

“What’s the punishment?” Tate asks him.

Monokuma looks up again. His red eye shines brightly. “Execution of course,” he replies coldly.

No one knew how to respond to that. Monokuma stands up again, his energy having returned. “Also, from now on, there will be an announcement that plays whenever three or more people discover a body that tells the others when a body has been found. Speaking of...” He disappears behind his podium again. Soon after an announcement plays for us.

“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you can use however you like, the class trial will begin!” And then it ends.

Everyone seemed to be ready to go. But then Francine stops us. “I know who the killer is!” she shouts. Everyone was immediately paying attention to her. We were all eager to hear what she had to say. She points an accusing finger at...me.

“You did it, Wayne! You killed Betty!” she says. All eyes soon went from her to me.

I was taken back by and this and shake my head quickly. “N-No, I–”

“That was your sword in her stomach, Wayne! That’s clear evidence you had to be the one to do it!” she says cutting me off. All of the eyes on me begin to be filled with anger or distrust. I felt trapped. Like I couldn’t breath. 

I shake my head slowly. “N...No...No, it wasn’t...wasn’t me..!” I found it so hard to get those words out. It was like they were getting trapped in my throat and choking me.

Ike grabs my arm, squeezing it with a painful grip. “I say we tie him up! Can’t do any harm if he can’t move!” He shouts to the other. I couldn’t handle this. All these eyes. Watching me, staring at me, judging my every move! It was too much! I scream bloody murder and shove him.

Ike stumbles away from me and I hurriedly move away from the group, shoving past them, breathing deeply and shuddering. Cassidy sighs. “Let’s just go investigate. And do not tie him up,” she says. “He could be useful.” She walks off.

Ike and the others glare at me for a bit before heading out. I had to take a minute to regain my composure and calm down. I take one final deep breath before standing upright again. I had to go help with the investigation. I had to clear my name. Or else...we were all going to die. I head out and go straight to Betty’s room.

I enter Betty’s bedroom again. I put my hand on the doorknob and felt it jiggle a little bit. Then it came off in my hand. I quickly try to put it back but it doesn’t work. I heard a sigh and look up.

Cassidy was watching me fiddle with the broken doorknob. She walks over and takes it from my hand. She places it on the floor. “That’s evidence. Don’t touch it again.” I nod a little bit and head back to the bathroom.

Betty was exactly as we left her. On the ground, staring up at the ceiling with a lifeless yet panicked expression. I walk over to her hesitantly. I had to investigate if I wanted to live.

Her forehead was bleeding. It looked like something had cut it. There was also the multiple stab wounds in her stomach that caused a lot of the blood. My saber still stuck out of her. The stab wounds didn’t seem to fit the shape of the saber well. Her right hand’s nails were bloody and there was some skin under them.

On the saber handle, it looked like there was some kind of makeup. I wasn’t an expert on the stuff, but I’ve seen my sister use enough to know it was concealer.

Glass surrounded Betty from her broken mirror. Some of it looked a little bloody and a lot of it was sitting in her sink. One piece in particular was extremely bloody.

I left the bathroom. There didn’t seem to be anything else that was out of place in Betty’s bedroom. I don’t think anything was tampered with here.

I head out into the hall after that go to my room. I notice my doorknob wobbled a little when I turned it, but it helps on. The screws in it were loose. I check my room real quick but nothing was out of place here except for my missing saber.

I left my room again. There was probably more evidence elsewhere but I needed to decide where to search. That’s when I feel someone tug on my jacket.

I look down it was doing that. It was Harold. “Come with me,” he says. “I need to do something and I trust you.”

He trusted me? So this meant that he didn’t think I was the killer. Or he thought I wouldn’t kill again...either one works, I guess.

I nod in response and follow him to wherever it was he wanted to go. And that seemed to be the trash room. He takes a key out of his pocket and unlocks the gate, opening it.

“Wait, how did–?” 

“I will explain during the trial for that is the purpose. For now, just shut your mouth and stand guard,” he says.

I sigh softly but do as he said. He walks over to the dumpster and begins to go through it. He pulls out a toolkit. He looks it over and I peek at it as well. It was missing the screwdriver. He scowls a bit and tosses it back into the dumpster. “That's all I needed to do.” He walks out and I follow after him.

Jess was currently taking interviews of the others to find out what everyone was doing at the time of the murder. She walks over to me. “Okay Wayne, you look really suspicious right now and I don’t want to point fingers. So just tell me what you were doing last night.” She seemed to be really sincere. It was kind of nice. She offers me a patient smile and I end up smiling a bit too.

“I went to bed at the time of the announcement and slept. My sword was gone when I woke up in the morning,” I tell her.

She nods. She was still smiling. “Alright then Wayne. Thank you for the help,” she tells me. She begins to walk off.

“Wait, Jess,” I say. “Can I ask where you were last night, too?”

She stops and looks at me again. “Oh, well...yeah, I don’t mind answering that. I had spent most of the night in my room but I did leave for a while to get myself a warm glass of milk. I saw Francine in the dining hall and she didn’t look so good, so I made her a cup of tea and left. We did talk for a while but I’m not sure if it helped her. She’s been so on edge lately.”

I nod. “Right. Thanks, Jess. I’ll see you later.” I walk off and so did she.

I head to the kitchen and look around. There was a cup of cold tea sitting next to the sink. It looked like it had barely been touched.

I was about to go look elsewhere when an announcement plays. “Alright everyone, please meet at the large red doors for the trial!” Monokuma says.

I frown a little and head to the red doors and go through them. Everyone soon joins me and we stood in a room with an elevator. Everyone was silent as they walk in. The doors close behind us and the elevator moves down.

Tensions were high in the room. The air was almost suffocating. Someone in this elevator was a killer, and they were the only ones that completely knew I didn't do this. I had to prove it to the others! The elevator continues to go down. Thoughts rush through my mind. The elevator shudders and stops. The doors open to the stage of our ultimate decision. It was time for the first class trial to begin!


	8. Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair - Killing Life Trial Part I

We all step out of the elevator and into a large room. There were sixteen podiums in a circle in the center with our names on them. Everyone takes their assigned stand, with me stuck next to Francine and Ike.

Betty’s stand had a picture of her, her face smiling wide. A large X was painted through it. No one looked at it. Monokuma sat in a large throne. “So, I have already explained the rules. I hope you’re all ready to start!” Everyone nods quietly.

“...so I suppose I’ll be the one to ask,” Cassidy finally says. “But why is there a picture in Betty’s podium?”

Monokuma tilts his head. “Huh? Well, just because she’s dead doesn’t mean she has to miss out on all the fun! Isn’t it nice feeling like your friend is really here with you guys?”

“No,” Nancy replies bluntly.

“We won’t have to stare at it for long because we already know the killer,” Francine says. “It was Wayne!”

“It was his saber we found buried in her stomach,” Rick agrees.

“And he hasn’t given us any kind of alibi,” Jamie adds.

“But does that really prove he did it?” Jess asks softly.

“Just because he’s the most obvious doesn’t mean he’s the true culprit,” Patrick adds.

“I have to agree,” Harold says. “Leaving such obvious evidence behind is simply asinine. I don’t believe everyone here is that big of a moron.”

“But Wayne has a toolkit,” Francine interjects. “Betty’s doorknob had come off her door. And you can’t say he didn’t want our either. That means he has the means and the motive!”

“All of the boys have a toolkit,” I say. “That doesn’t prove anything. All it does is narrow down the killer to one of the boys.”

“And Cassidy,” Patrick says. “We swapped boxes. I have her sewing kit and she has my toolkit.”

Cassidy nods in agreement. “That’s true. I thought it would find more use so I traded.”

“Ah, well, I have Tyler’s kit,” Rita says. “He gave it to me. He didn’t really need his, after all. He has all his own tools.”

Tyler smiles proudly. “Yep! Got anything you could possibly think of and more!”

“Then that’s two new suspects and one crossed off the list,” I say.

“How do we know your room was ever broken into, though?” Ike asks. “Your doorknob didn’t just pop off like Betty’s.”

“Yeah, but it was loose,” I counter. “Someone tried to screw mine back into place. There was just no attempt to put Betty’s back into place.”

“The suspect list is too wide to say Wayne is our definite killer,” Harold says. “It’s just as possible someone is framing him.”

“Is there any way we can narrow it down then?” Nancy asks. “There’s gotta be someone who’s way too suspicious!”

“Well...there was a toolkit in the garbage with a missing screwdriver,” I say.

“Wait, what?” Cassidy asks. “How did you figure that out? We can’t get into the trash room.”

“Harold had a key for it,” I say. “He went in there with me.”

“So the kid happens to have a key into the room with a toolkit in it that no one else can get to,” Nancy says. “Sounds pretty damn suspicious to me!”

“ _Nancy, are you really suggesting that Harold is the culprit?_ ” Sasha asks.

“Do not such such preposterous things about Young Harry!” Perry demands.

Harold scowls. “I told you not to call me that.” He looks at Nancy. “And as for you! I don’t have time for your buffoonery!”

“Sounds like you just don’t fingers pointed at you!” Nancy demands.

“Nancy, what you’re saying doesn’t even make sense,” I step in. “You need to think about this a little more.”

“If I spent all my time thinking, I’d miss everything! The best decisions are made on instinct!” she demands.

“Maybe in the ring, but not in a trial where our lives are at stake!” I demand.

She growls and hits her fists together. “I’ll beat you down until you admit I’m right!”

Great, now Nancy was fired up. I had to show her it was impossible for Harry to have killed Betty.

”The kid is totally suspicious!”

”No one else could have gotten into the garbage room!”

”That points everything at him!”

“Suspicion doesn’t mean guilty,” I say. “We don’t have any other evidence pointing at Harold. Besides, he couldn’t have possibly killed Betty.”

”But the kid is clearly a prime suspect!”

”The garbage room just points right at him!”

”He could have done everything!”

I heard it, all of the sudden. The opening I could use to end this. “It’s time to cut through your words!” I shout.

“H-Huh? Hey, I’m not going to go down that easily!” Nancy demands.

“But Harold couldn’t have possibly killed Betty,” I say. “Remember the body, Nancy. Someone had hit her head against the mirror. There’s no possible way Harold could have pulled something like that off.”

Nancy frowns a little. “Well, yes but...uh...” She didn’t seem to have any sort of a response.

“That eliminates Harold as a suspect,” Cassidy says.

“But how would the killer get into the garbage room if there wasn’t another way in?” Jamie says. “We can’t completed disregard Harold. For instance, if he had help from a certain someone...”

“Are you implying I would assist in such a crime for Young Harry?!” Perry demands. “I love him, but I’m not stupid!”

“Well..it’s still a possibility,” Rick says. “How else would the killer get the toolkit?”

“Well...” Harold begins.

Patrick frowns a bit and crosses his arms. “What did you do?”

Harold adjusts his glasses, making them reflect the light and made it hard to see his eyes. “Perhaps it’s because I forgot to close the gate after pitching the toolbox. A minor mistake on my part.”

“Minor?! Someone died!” Tate says.

“I couldn’t predict such a thing,” he counters. “And I doubt whoever killed would have just stopped if they couldn’t get to the toolkit.”

“Well, if the toolkit in the garbage room was used, couldn’t we just rule out all the boys?” Jess asks.

“Of course not!” Francine demands quickly. “It just means the boys wouldn’t have to go and open their own kits. All we know is Harold didn’t do it because he’s a shorty and I doubt Tyler would do it if he has his own tools.”

“So we have even more suspects then before,” Ike grumbles.

“Maybe we should determine how Betty died,” Cassidy suggests.

“But we already know that,” Francine cuts in. “She was stabbed with Wayne’s saber.”

“Is that really the case?” she replies. “Can we really believe that?”

What was Cassidy trying to get at? Was there something else really going on here? Maybe if I thought about everything, I could think of an answer myself.

_What obvious weapon was around Betty?_

My saber.

_Why couldn’t this have killed her?_

Because...the other wounds were different.

_Was the weapon still in the room?_

...yes.

_What was it?_

It was the bloody shard of glass.

Of course! I look up, eyes shining. “I have an answer!” I shout.

Everyone looks at me. “What are you talking about?” Rita asks.

“I don’t think Betty was killed with my saber,” I say.

“But it was in her body!” Francine says.

“But think about the other wounds,” I reply. “They weren’t the kind of stab wounds my saber could make. They were longer and thicker.”

“I’m glad someone saw it,” Cassidy says. “Wayne’s saber isn’t the murder weapon.”

“ _Wait, it wasn’t? Then what was?_ ” Sasha writes.

“There was a piece of glass in the sink that was soaked in more blood than any of them. I think that would be our murder weapon,” I say.

“That would certainly explain the odd shapes of the wounds,” Patrick says. “They certainly didn’t match up with the saber.”

“Speaking of the saber,” Tate says, “I remember seeing something smeared on the handle.”

“It was concealer,” I say. “My sister made me help her with her makeup a bunch and she always used it for breakouts.”

“Why would the killer be using concealer?” Jess asks softly.

“Well...Betty has some skin under her nails,” Harold says. “So maybe they we’re trying to cover up their wounds.”

“Young Harry!” Perry says. “I thought I told you to stay away from the body!”

Harold just rolls his eyes a little bit.

“Well, who here owns concealer?” Jamie asks.

Patrick raises his hand. “It helps with my costume sometimes.”

Jess slowly raises her hand too. “Sometimes a girl needs to freshen up...”

Francine’s hand goes into the air soon after. “I have several kinds.”

No one else said anything. So that left us three suspects then.

“Well, can the three of you locate yourselves for the night?” Cassidy asks them.

Jess nods curtly. “Right. I spent some time with Francine in the cafeteria. I left her alone after a while and went to bed.”

“I went to bed soon after her,” Francine adds.

“I was in my room all night,” Patrick says absently.

One of them were clearly lying about this. And...And I think I knew who it was. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. And I was positive I knew the killer. The killer had to be..!


	9. Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair - Killing Life Trial Part II

“I think I know which one of you is lying,” I say.

The three of them look at me. Both Jess and Francine looked concerned while Patrick looked...bored.

“Francine...you’re lying, aren’t you?” I ask.

Francine blinks before getting a nervous smile. “Uh...heh...e-excuse me?”

“Wayne, that’s...a pretty sudden guess to make,” Rick says.

“You were just telling me not to go pointing random fingers and now you’re just doing that shit?!” Nancy demands. She cracks her knuckles and then her neck. “I’ll pummel your ass into next week!”

“I-It’s not like that!” I say quickly. “I can prove it was Francine!”

Francine stares at me with a nervous grin still. Her lips twitch. And then...she bursts into tears on the spot. “Why are you being so mean to meeeee?!” She wails dramatically.

“Fr-Francine..?” Jess asks hesitantly.

Francine continues sobbing. “He did it! I know he did it! He’s just trying to pin me!”

“Francine, you left your tea out in the kitchen,” I say. “You were in a rush, weren’t you? You left it there in a hurry.”

The sobbing stops as suddenly as it started. “...that doesn’t...prove...ANYTHIIIIING!” She shrieks it loudly like a banshee in rage. It made everyone jump.

“Stage performer! Please, you must calm down!” Perry demands quickly.

“Do not tell me to calm down when I’m the one getting targeted!” she yells. “Don’t you fucking DARE!”

“Francine, if you want definite evidence, then I have it!” I shout.

“Hahaha! Very funny everyone! You got me! Joke’s over!” she says happily.

“This isn’t a joke!” Jess demands. “Francine, someone is dead!”

“What?!” Francine says in shock. “O-Oh God...we’re all gonna die!”

Francine was snapping. She couldn’t even seem to decide which act to go with. If I just pushed her a little more, I could get the truth out. “It’s time to end this!” I yell.

“Well, I do declare! This is a mighty fine mess!” she says in a thick country accent.

“Wait, now she’s a country girl?!” Tate asks, exasperated.

I couldn’t let this go on anymore. I had to take her out now and end this!

“You were the—“

_”You think you can pin me?!”_

“—first first person to—“

_”How could you keep treating me like this?!”_

“—put any of the blame—“

_”Okay, the joke’s over!”_

“—right onto me!”

“That’s because you were suspicious!” she snaps. “You can’t use that as evidence! What do you have, huh?! What the fuck do you have against me?! You have nothing!”

This was it. The only way to end this nightmare. It was time for me to stop her here. “No, you’re wrong!” I yell out. “If we checked you for makeup and found any injuries, we could figure out it was you. And seeing as most of your clothes are dresses, I bet it was your arm that got scratched up.”

Francine’s nervous smile return. “W-Well...uh...”

“Francine..?” Jess asks softly. “Please...Please tell me it's not true!”

“H-Heh...of...of course not...” she says meekly. “My concealer hasn’t even been opened yet...”

“...you told me you lost it,” Jess says. “And that’s why you needed to...borrow mine...” She trails off slowly and I could see tears brim her eyes. “...Francine..?”

“I saw something very interesting last night,” Patrick cuts in.

“Wait, didn’t you say you were in bed all night?” Ike grunts.

“I lied,” he says matter-of-factly. “But more importantly, I saw Francine last night trying to recover from a possible psychotic episode. I informed her Harold had gone into the garbage room to dispose of his toolkit and left the gate open, so she could handle any kind of trash she may have had in her room. You do remember that, right Francine?”

Francine didn’t say anything. She was deathly silent.

“...let’s go over the entire case to make sure nothing is out of place,” I say softly after a moment in the silence.

“The night started out with the killer having a cup of tea with Jess to try to calm their nerves. This ends up unsuccessful and Jess left. Harold left their room some time soon after to throw away his toolkit. He left the gate wide open and someone happened to notice this. Patrick. He saw the killer with the unfinished tea when he entered the cafeteria and offhandedly mentioned the garbage room. The killer was sent into action almost as soon as he was gone. They stole the screwdriver from the toolkit and used it to unscrew Betty’s bedroom doorknob. Betty was in her bathroom at the time, most likely getting ready for bed. The killer walked in and attacked her in an instant. They slammed her head into the mirror and broke the glass before she could react. Then they took a large piece of glass and stabbed her until she was dead. She fought back before he death, scratching the killer’s arm. This would be an issue. So the killer went to Jess once Betty was dead and asked for some concealer so they wouldn’t have to use their own. She gave it to them, unknowingly helping in the murder. The killer cleaned themselves up and then decided to put the blame on someone else. So they broke into my room and stole my saber, getting makeup on the handle. They were sure my doorknob was more in place so I wouldn’t notice. Then they left the saber in Betty’s and left for their room,” I explain. “Well, Francine, is there anything I missed?!”

Francine was completely quiet for a moment, her face completely blank. And then she breaks out into a fit of giggles. They make her body shake and shudder as they escape her.

“Fr...Francine..?” Jess croaks out weakly, tears brimming at her eyes. “You...You didn’t really...”

The giggling turn into heavy sobbing in an instant. Her chest heaved with each one. There wasn’t even a second for the mood in her to shift, it was just giggling and then instant sobbing.

“She’s lost her mind,” Patrick says calmly. “She knows she lost.”

The sobbing turns into angry screaming as Francine tugs on her hair.

“Let’s vote already,” Harold says curtly. “I’m done with this.”

The angry screaming turns fearful. I don’t think she’s been listening to a word any of us have said.

“I heard you’re ready to vote!” Monokuma cheers. “Great! Let’s get voting then! Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?”

Everybody puts their vote in for Francine.

“That’s right!” Monokuma cheers. “Francine Grand, the SHSL Actress, is the killer!”

Francine was back to giggling and then crying and then screaming and then cackling. It was like she couldn’t decide how to express herself in this situation.

“Francine...Francine, please stop!” Jess demands.

All noise stops from Francine. Her face was blank again. “...yeah? What do you want?”

“Why...Why did you do it..?” she asks softly. “I want to know why you did it!”

“Why...I did it..?” she asks softly. “Isn’t...Isn’t that obvious?! I wanted what everyone wanted! I wanted to get the fuck out of here! I have people waiting for me! An audience begging to watch my every movement! Paparazzi to take thousands of pictures of me! Tabloids filled with stories of me! I have myself waiting out there! I had to leave for ME!”

I didn’t understand what she was talking about or what she meant. But I don’t think it mattered anymore. Those were her last words to any of us.

“Sounds like it’s time to get rolling!” Monokuma cheers. A button raises up in front of him and he pulls out a mallet. “Let’s give it everything we've got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down onto the button.

Everyone waits in silence for something to happen. Even Francine was visibly holding her breath. Two doors in the back of the room crash open and a chain flies out. It clamps down on Francine’s neck.

She looks up at everyone with fear and anger in her eyes. One hand goes to the clamp to try to pull it off. The other reaches for everyone else. We could see the chain tighten and drag her back.

Francine’s shrill scream fills the room as the chain drags her away and through the doors it came from. She disappeared from our sight into darkness. Then...a video starts to play on the screen provided with our podiums.

**Francine Grand has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Francine stood in her old Juliet costume on a set. She clasped a cup of poison in her hands. Stage lights were aimed on her. She was clearly nervous, sweating a tiny bit. She was on the same set from the movie, too.

There wasn’t any visible way off the stage so she does all she could think of to do. She begins to recite the lines that she had memorized for the movie. Then she gets to her big part. She brings the cup up to her lips and drinks it.

**Romeo, oh Romeo!**

She starts continuing with her lines. Then she pauses. She shudders and drops the cup. It clatters to the floor, spilling the rest liquid. She puts a hand to here chest a heaves a bit. She does it again, like something wanted to from up but couldn’t.

She vomits up blood but keeps saying her lines through it. Nothing would ever get in the way of her and her performance. Not even whatever was happening to her. She would finish this, even if it killed her.

Monokuma walks out, wearing the Romeo outfit and holding a knife. Francine is on her hands and knees now, vomiting more and shaking violently. The lines pour out of her mouth weakly yet on command. But the spotlight moves off of her.

She pulls herself up slowly and looks to Monokuma. He wasn’t suppose to be out here yet. He was early. Monokuma begins to recite his lines. But they were all wrong! They were from several scenes ago!

She stumbles toward him, dazed and weak. Blood dribbled down her chin and onto her outfit. She felt absolutely furious through the poison clouding her mind. He was ruining everything. Her last performance! Her best! Gone and ruined because of an incompetent actor!

She gives off a weak yet blood curdling scream. Monokuma runs over and rams the knife into her chest. Her eyes widen and her mouth hangs open in shock. She takes a few steps back and stares down at it. Blood slowly pool around the knife.

She bumps into an open coffin sitting on the stage as a prop. Monokuma pushes her and she falls into it. The lid slams shut over her and Monokuma pushes it into one of the graves. Juliet’s name was inscribed next to it. He pulls down on a lever and shuts the door. Smoke pours out. It wasn't a grave, it was an incinerator.

Everyone stood silently at their podiums as they tried to process what we had all just watched.

“What...What the hell was that?!” Jamie demands finally.

“That was what happens to people who kill and get caught!” Monokuma declares.

“I...I don’t understand...” Perry says softly. “How did the demon do such a thing..?”

“It doesn’t matter how, what matters is that he did,” Cassidy cuts in.

Sasha had started crying at some point. I wasn’t sure when.

“Well...no one is going to kill again after seeing something like that!” Rick demands.

Monokuma giggles into his paws. “Oh, that’s what they all say. Never really works out.”

I frown a tiny bit. “What are you talking about..?”

“Welp, time to go!” he says. “All of you out! Go to your rooms! Bed time!”

Without a real choice, we all left the trial grounds and back to the elevator. The doors shut and it heads back up. No one said a word as it did.

Once it opened, we all walked out of the elevator and disappear into our respective rooms for the night. My doorknob was in place completely again.

I lay down in bed and stare at the ceiling for a long while. I didn’t really think about anything. Not with a lot of focus, anyway. I end up just passing out for the night.

**Chapter 1: Hope Is Just Another Name For Despair - Completed!**

Wayne, ~~Betty~~ , Patrick, Sasha, Nancy, Ike, Harold, Perry, ~~Francine~~ , Jamie, Cassidy, Jessica, Tyler, Rita, Rick, Tate


	10. Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier! - Daily Life Part I

**Daily School Life - Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier!**

I wake up the next day to the morning announcement and pull myself out of bed. My saber was sitting on my table again, clean. I didn’t even want to look at it right now. I only thought of Betty and Francine when I did. I get ready for the day and leave my room.

I head out to the kitchen and get some breakfast, sitting down at the table in the cafeteria. I pick at my food and push it around on my plate. But I don’t eat it. After everything I saw yesterday, I just wasn’t hungry.

Eventually everyone else was here. There were only fourteen of us now and a heavy air of dread filled the room. The only ones who seemed unaffected were Patrick and Cassidy, who ate their food calmly.

An announcement plays after we finish eating. “Could everyone please report to the gym for a special announcement?” Monokuma says. We all head for the gym since there wasn’t much else to do.

Monokuma pops up and lands on his podium. “Hello students! I see two of you are...expelled now.” He giggles into his paws.

“Just get on with it...” Tate says, sounding tired.

“Upupupupu! As you wish! I’ve unlocked the second floor! You deserve a little treat for surviving your trial. So go! Explore this whole new world!” And he disappears again.

Without so much as even looking at one another, everyone heads to the newly unlocked staircase and up to the new floor. If anything, it was just a distract for us.

There wasn’t a whole lot up here. There were changing rooms on the left as soon as you got off the staircase. One for boys and one for girls. I could only get into the boy’s room. There was some workout equipment in here and lockers. A door in the back of the room lead to the pool.

There were bathrooms and a classroom next door to the changing room, on the left and right of the hall respectively. A stairway to the third floor was next to the bathrooms. Blocked off to us, obviously.

There was a library next to it that was absolutely massive. It had hundreds of books to read a couple desks to sit at. There was a laptop at one desk, but it didn't seem to work. A door in the back of the room seemed to lead to an archive of some kind. This room was filed with files and newspaper clippings. This room was a bit messier, with crdboard boxes siting around and a stepladder tucked away behind some.

There was a final classroom at the end of the hall, hidden away by a turn to the right. There didn’t seem to be much up here of importance and everyone settles down to distract themselves from the events of yesterday. I decide to do the same and walk off to go talk to someone.

I enter the kitchen and find Rick rummaging around in the cabinets. He pulls out a box of cookies and smiles. I clear my throat.

He jumps and yelps, dropping the box. He spins around but soon relaxes. “Oh, Wayne. It’s just you,” he says. He sighs in relief. He picks up the box of cookies and holds it out. “Want some?”

I nod and dig my hand into the box. I spend time snacking on cookies with Rick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So Rick, you said you’re the SHSL Luckster. How does that work?” I ask.

He thinks about how to explain it while he stuffs a cookie into his mouth. He sets the box down. “Well, I guess the best way to explain it is how the school explained it to me. I’m a person who experienced an abnormal amount of luck. Most people get the title Lucky Student, but those people just experience good luck and sometimes small amounts of bad luck. I got that too, of course. But I also have extreme bad luck. And my luck is contagious. So uh...I’m an oddball even for people with this title.”

He chuckles nervously and stuffs another cookie into his mouth. I nod as I think it over. I think I understood what all of that meant. I wonder what kind of life a person like that even lives.

He pulls another cookie out of the box. It had maggots on it. He gags and drops it back in, throwing the whole box away. “God, that's disgusting! I’m gonna be sick!” He runs out. I guess that kind of life...

I left the room head off to storage room after he was gone and grab a pair of blue swimming trunks. I wanted to try out the pool.

I go upstairs and enter the changing room, changing into my trunks and going into the pool room.

Patrick was here at the moment. I only knew it was him because his idea of swimwear was dressing up as Aquaman and doing lazy laps around the pool.

I sit down at the edge of the pool and he stops swimming once he reached me again. “Hey there, Patrick,” I say. “Think I can chat with you for a bit?”

“I guess that’s alright,” he replies boredly. I spend some time talking with Patrick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So what are cosplay competitions like?” I ask him curiously. By now, he had pulled himself out of the pool to sit next to me.

“They’re what you would expect,” he says. “People dress up in their best cosplay and show it off to some judges. The competitions can sometimes go on for a couple days with varying ranks of they’re big enough.”

“Sounds kind of stressful,” I murmur. The thought of being aches and judged like that sends a shiver down my spine.

“I find it to be fun,” he corrects. “I put a lot of effort into my costumes. Showing how mine ar whether than everyone else’s is enjoyable.”

“Uh...shouldn’t the fact that you can show off your work to others and have them appreciate it be the purpose?” I ask.

“Possibly, but I prefer looking at the defeated looks on everyone’s faces when they realize I’m better than them,” he explains.

I...honestly wasn’t sure how to react to that. Patrick stood up. “I’ll be going now. I’m bored of this.” He walks off without so much as a goodbye. He was a very weird guy...

I left the pool soon after that. I get changed back into my normal clothes and head down stairs and into the gym. That’s where I find Nancy.

She had found a football tackle dummy in the back room and was currently using it for her boxing after dragging it out to the gym. She had on a pair of red gloves. They looked a bit worn out but sturdy. She knocks down the dummy with a solid punch and smiles. Then she noticed me and looks over.

“Oh, hey there buddy! Hey, I need to do some training on a live target. Mind if I use you? I promise to go easy on ya!” she tells me, hitting her gloved hands together.

I was a little hesitant to let her do that. But if she was going to go easy on me, how bad could it be? I nod and she grins. I spend some time getting beat up by Nancy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She holds an ice pack to my bruised cheek after she had knocked me on my ass for the fifth time. “I thought you said you were going to go easy on me..?” I grumble.

She smiles and pats my back. It hurt a bit thanks to the bruising she gave it. “I did go easy on you, buddy! I didn’t break anything, did I?”

Her definition of going easy was not as nice as I had anticipated. I’ll just have to be sure to never box with her again. “You have a pretty good punch if this is your idea of going easy on me,” I say.

She moves the ice pack to my shoulder. “Well, I had four brothers and ten years to get to train it!” Wait...she had four brothers?!

She moves the ice pack to my stomach. “The first day my dad took interest in my punch was when I knocked a tooth out of my oldest brother’s mouth when he took my favorite doll. After that, dad took me under his wing. He was an ex-boxer himself, so he taught me all his best techniques.”

I was honestly a little jealous of her. Neither of my parents had ever been swore fighters of any kind. The only way I got to train was with my sister, but she was into kendo. So it wasn’t always easy.

“But I didn’t want to be some carbon copy of my dad,” Nancy goes on. “I wanted to be something new. Then in my first match, I broke my opponent's nose. The crowd went wild! And I knew what my own special touch would be. I became Nosebleed Nancy, the greatest boxer in the world.”

She grin proudly and stands. She helps me back onto my feet. “Well, you should be fine. I’m gonna go to bed early I think. Night, buddy.” She heads out. I leave too.

I go into the kitchen with the intent of having a before-bed snack and see Cassidy making herself a pizza. I decide now would be a good time to thank her for her help yesterday and for trusting in me.

I walk over and she looks at me. “Oh, hello, Wayne. Did you come in for dinner?” she asks me. I shake my head. She stands up straight and faces me fully. I seem to have her attention.

“I just wanted to thank you for helping me out yesterday. It was really nice of you to stick up for me,” I say.

She smiles a little. And then laughs a bit. It wasn’t a happy or kind laugh. It was cruel and cold. Like ice cutting through the air. “You honestly think I did any of that to help you?” she asks. Her insulting smile drops away to her serious look once again. “I did none of that for you. I did it because I had to for myself.”

The oven beeps. She turns away from me and pulls out her pizza, cutting it up. “In case you haven’t noticed, Wayne, this is a game of life or death. Betty and Francine lost the game and I have no intentions of losing. I don’t expect a lot from any of you, but I know none of you are stupid enough to do something like leave obvious evidence like that behind.”

She serves herself a slice and turns back to me. I shake my head. “Cassidy, you can’t think like that. We have to work together and have hope in each other!” I tell her.

She shakes her head and walks closer. “No, Wayne, I don’t hold hope in the others. There is no point in holding such fruitless feelings in other humans. I have no intentions of making friends with any of you. It’d be a waste of my energy and time. So don’t bother with making friends, especially with me. All it will do is lead to pain and calamity,” she hisses angrily. Was she talking from personal experience?

She looks down at her food. She scowls and throws her pizza away. “I’ve lost my appetite,” she says. She heads to the door.

“You’re wrong, Cassidy,” I say to her before she leaves. “I have hope in the others. I trust them. We’ll get out of here, just you wait.”

She turns back to me. She smiles. It was sarcastic and mean. “How noble of you, Wayne. Stupid, but noble...I’d like to see how this plays out for you.” And then she leaves.

I sigh softly and look back at her pizza. I wasn’t too hungry so I leave it there and head back to my room.

The nighttime announcement plays as I got to my room to sleep. Cassidy’s words keep me up for a while. She really didn’t trust any of us? It seemed like she was just playing to survive I guess I cousin blame her for that. I pass out on my bed for the night thinking about it.

—————

Jess was returning to her room. Francine’s death was still haunting her. She didn’t know the other girl all that well, but she had liked to consider them friends. But even if she didn’t, that death had been too gruesome.

Someone walks up behind her with heavy footsteps. She looks over her shoulder to see Patrick standing there. He wasn’t wearing any costume right now and she turns full to face him.

His face was dotted with freckles and a little round. But it didn’t match his lanky body. He wore pretty plain looking close. A free T-shirt was over a white long sleeve that looked too loose on his body. His jeans were too long and hide his new-looking tennis shoes. His soft brown hair was brushed to the side. He had a very uncaring expression on his face. His eyes were a dull grey.

“Hello, Jessica,” he says calmly.

“Patrick, is that you?” she asks. She didn’t even recognize him. She only knew it was him because no one else here looked like this.

He smirks a bit, crossing his arms. “I suppose my cosplay is just that impressive. Yeah, it’s me. I came because I have a proposition for you.”

Now Jess was a little wary. What could he possibly want? “What would that be..?” she asks him tentatively.

“I want to form an alliance,” he says bluntly. “We’d work together in trials and share any information we found that could be useful.”

“Why do you want to do something like that? And why should I trust you at all?” She didn’t want to sound so rude and accusing, but after the incident with Francine...

“There’s strength in numbers. It’s purely survival,” he says. “We’d both benefit. But if you don’t trust me, I can tell you a secret of mine.”

“...okay then...” she murmurs hesitantly. What kind of secret could he possibly have?

“I’m a sociopath,” he tells her. “Medically diagnosed, as well.”

“Oh...” She wasn’t sure if that made her trust him more or less. He could abandon her at any moment if it helped him and he’d never care. But he also wouldn’t be doing this unless he thought she would be useful to him. “...fine. I guess we can work together for now.”

He holds out his hands and she takes it. The two shake. “Well...goodnight,” Jess says. She slips into her room silently, leaving Patrick alone in the hall.

“There, I did it,” he says to no one. “Happy?”

There wasn’t a response. He walks back to his room without waiting for one.


	11. Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier! - Daily Life Part II

I wake up the next day to the morning announcement. I get ready for the day and end up pushing my saber under my bed for now. I head out of my room and to the cafeteria.

Everyone was waiting patiently at a chair. The smell of pancakes floated out of the kitchen. Rick, Jamie, and Sasha weren’t sitting at the table.

I sit down with Nancy, Tate, and Ike. Ike and Nancy were having an arm wrestling contest. I glance at Cassidy but she didn’t meet my eyes. I decide to get invested in the contest instead. Me and state end up having one when we refuse to agree on who would win.

Jess was arguing with the four of us because arm wrestling started turning into real wrestling when Rick, Sasha, and Jamie all walk out of the kitchen with several stacks of pancakes and syrup.

Rick and Sasha smile brightly when they set the pancakes down. Jamie just frowns. I think they dragged hm into it.

“ _Please enjoy breakfast, everyone!_ ” she writes to us. “ _Consider this a symbol of our friendship as a group!_ ”

Oh, so that’s what this was. She just wanted everyone to get along.

“I agree with the comedic artist!” Perry says joyously. “We shall use this to show our strengthen resolve against the demon whom has entrapped us!”

“Who,” Harold corrects as he serves himself. Everyone else begins to take some, too. Even Cassidy and Patrick did, but I think it was more for the fact that there was free food.

“So why did you join these two?” Rita asks Jamie. “I didn’t take you for the type to care.”

“I wanted to make sure Rick didn’t burn down the whole school,” he replies. “The guy is a walking disaster!”

Rick seems a little disheartened by that and Sasha gently smacks Jamie’s arm, looking stern.

Jamie sighs deeply and begins to eat his own pancake. “I wanted to help Rick and Sasha...” he grumbles into his food.

We all continue eating it food until all the pancakes were gone. Nancy was wrestling with Tate on the ground while Jess tried to break them up. I cheered them on and Ike watched with a soft grin.

An announcement cuts off the fun and any conversations going on. “Could all students please report to the gym?” Monokuma asks everyone.

We all walk off hesitantly. I helped Tate and Nancy off the ground as we went.

Everyone gathers in the gym and Monokuma pops up on his podium as usual. “Hello, everyone!”

“What do you want with us now?” Tyler asks, looking annoyed.

“I just wanted to inform you all on the new motive!” the bear cheers. “Isn’t it good of me as your headmaster to let you know about stuff like this?”

“What? We have another damn motive?!” Nancy demands angrily.

“Don’t worry, this one has already started! It’s way more simple! See, I poisoned you all!” he says.

“Poison?” Cassidy asks, her frown deepening. “How did you accomplish such a thing?”

“I used it in that super special pancake mix I made for you all,” Monokuma says. “And you at it aaaaall up!”

It...It was in the pancakes? Rick and Sasha both immediately looked heartbroken. Jamie just sighed and looked away.

“How...How long do we have..?” Jess asks softly.

“Three days,” Monokuma says ominously. “You’ll find out what the symptoms are...”

And with that, he was gone, and we were all left with the heavy weight of realization bearing down on us. Eventually, we left and parted way.

I end up heading to the library just to find Sasha there, drawing. I sit down next to her to see what she was making. It was a comic about the trial. She had other drawings laying out and I start going through them while she was distracted.

Betty being found dead, everyone turning against me in the gym, the trial...it seems this was her way of distracting herself.

I gently tap her shoulder and she jumps, silently screaming and looking at me. She begins to relax and sighs a little bit. “ _You scared the heck out of me, Wayne,_ ” she scribbles down.

I smile sheepishly. “Sorry about that Sasha. I didn’t mean too,” I assure.

She nods and looks down at her drawing. It was the end of the trial, when Francine was about to be taken away and executed. “ _I need better ideas. This is too depressing. Help me brainstorm._ ”

I spend time brainstorming with Sasha. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She finishes writing down the different ideas. “Hey Sasha,” I ask her, “what’s it like having Internet fame?”

She smiles and flips to a new page. She starts writing. “ _It’s really nice most of the time. People buy my merchandise. They read my comics and tell me that they love them or that it makes their day. It makes me so happy knowing my silly little comics can make a person’s day._ ”

I couldn’t be shocked by that. Sasha was such a kind and sweet girl. It was easy to imagine her smiling when someone complimented her work or said something nice to her. I heard from somewhere she gets back to every person that leaves nice things or constructive criticism for her.

She hesitated before continuing. “ _But...not everyone is so friendly. I get people calling me names or saying they hate my work. They tell me I deserved to be mute or that I should go die. I know that it’s just jerks trying to get a rise out of me. I always ignore it. Another problem is the copycat accounts. People who pretend to be me and make other people believe they’re me. It can be such a problem. It had it’s ups and downs but honestly, my fans and my love of the art keeps me going anyway._ ”

I smile a bit. It seems she really did love what she was doing. “Well, I’m glad you manage to power through,” I say.

She smiles and then collects her papers. “ _I’m going to go work in my room. Have a nice day, Wayne._ ” She walks out of the library and I leave soon after.

I end up finding Tate in the kitchen, staring down at a glass of water he was holding without drinking it. He didn’t have his soccer ball with him. I walk over to him and he looks up at me. He smiles weakly and sets the glass down. “Hey there, Wayne. Did you want to hang out with me?” He seemed like he really needed it.

I spend time hanging out with Tate for a while. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He still seemed a bit distant. “I miss playing soccer,” he says absentmindedly. “There is nothing that I find more fun than playing a good game of soccer. I’d ask you guys to play a game with me, but I don’t think anyone is in the mood. Not now anyway. I’ve been playing that game since I was five and now I might never get to play it again.” He looks down.

I gently pat his shoulder. “We’ll all get out of here. Monokuma will never kill us all of. That’d ruin his fun,” I say.

That’s what I had to tell myself and the others. It was the only answer that would keep me going.

Tate nods in agreement. “Yeah...you’re right. We’ll get out together. I just wish Betty and Francine would have been there with us.”

He grabs his glass of water and chugs it. Then he gets a soda from the fridge and opens it. He gives me a smile. “Thanks for the pep talk man. I really needed that.” He heads out, sipping his drink. He was in a better mood now and that put me in a good mood.

My good mood is very soon ruined as I end up finding Cassidy in the hallway to our rooms. She seemed to suck the joy out of everything, if I was being honest.

She looks at me with her icy, cold eyes. “Hello, Wayne. I know this request may be strange after our...encounter last night. But I decided that I need someone I can trust,” she tells me.

When she said the word trust, it sounded strained and forced. Like it was a word she didn’t truly believe in. “So you’re saying you want to be my friend?” I ask.

She scowls and looks away. She seemed to be thinking. “That’s not the word I would use. I’d consider this an alliance. Tell the others and I absolutely will deny it,” she warns.

I nod slowly. I end up spending some time with Cassidy. I...think the two of us grew a little closer today. It’s much harder to tell with her.

“So Cassidy, how come you never told me what your talent is?” I ask her. She looks at me like I had just asked a stupid question.

She looks away again. “I don’t want to,” she says bluntly.

“How did you get it off of the e-handbook? Are you a hacker or something?” I ask her.

She scoffs a bit. “It’s probably just Monokuma going along with it. I’m not sure what his motives are yet...”

“Sounds like you have a lot to think about then,” I murmur softly. She seemed to be taking on a lot of responsibility for figuring this thing out. I could tell in He way she spoke about the bear.

“I’ll figure it out,” she assures. “Nothing slips past me without me catching it.”

Cassidy was such a mysterious and distant person, but under that I could tell there was someone worth getting to know. Maybe I just had to help dig it out.

The nighttime announcement plays and Cassidy retires to her room without a word to me. I sigh and go to my own room as well.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. There was a light buzz in my head now. I think I was getting a headache. My stomach was starting to bug me as well. I roll over and manage to get some sleep.


	12. Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier! - Daily Life Part III

I get up in the morning feeling awful. My stomach was in knots and my head buzzed with a small headache. I try to ignore it and get out of bed, walking out of the room and to the cafeteria.

I end up not eating my breakfast. I couldn’t. My stomach was just in too much pain for me to even try. Everyone managed to get out of bed today at least.

Harold was reading a book at the moment. He looked worse off than anyone. I walk over to him. “What are you reading about?”

He looks up at me, messily shoving his glasses up his nose. His eyes were getting a glazed look to them. “I’m just studying up on my toxicology...”

“Young Harry, did you get any rest last night?” Perry asks him.

He shoves his glasses up his nose again. I realize Hey were slipping off because he was sweaty. His breathing seemed a little raspy, too. “Don’t call me that,” he mumbles.

Jess frowns a tiny bit. “Harold, maybe you should go get some rest. It’ll help. You can study later.”

“I’m studying to try to save our lives!” he snaps. “If I can figure out what poison was being used, then I can actually do something besides wait to die or for someone else to, unlike you pathetic oafs!”

“Hey, I get that everyone is on edge, but you need to chill,” Rita says. “You’re not helping by yelling at everyone.”

Harold snaps his book shut. “Fine. I’ll study in my room then and figure this out in my own.” He stands up jamd begins walking out of the room. It was a slow, uneven shamble. I could hear his raspy breathing turn into a wheeze.

“Young Harold, Allow me to assist,” Perry says, standing up.

Harold stops moving and doesn’t respond. He stays there for a moment before we all watch his knees buckle. He falls to the floor, his glasses and book sliding away from him.

“Harry!” Perry rushes toward his brother quickly. Some of the others, like Jess and Rick, got up to help if they needed to. But Perry simply scooped up his brother, collected his things, and rushed out of the room.

“Oh no. The poor kid,” we hear Monokuma say. We look at him as he stood on the edge of the table.

“What did you do to him?!” Rick demands before he starts coughing. My throat began to tickle, too.

“It’s probably just the poison taking effect faster,” Monokuma says. “He has a small body. Must be working quicker.”

“Are you saying Harold might die before the end of the three day limit?” Patrick asks, sounding more curious than anything else.

“Probably!” the bear replies. “Guess we’ll find out!” He waddles off, humming.

“I’ll...I’ll go check on them,” Jess says. She stands and hurries off. Everyone else ends up walking off, too. I stayed behind with Tate, Nancy, and Ike.

“This fucking sucks...” Nancy grumbles, clearly being pained by her stomach with the way she curled in on herself a bit.

“Hopefully we can get through this,” Ike murmurs. I couldn’t tell if he was in pain or not. He certainly didn’t show it if he was.

Tate didn’t say anything for a bit. I look toward him.

He sat there, looking drowsy and unfocused. I move over next to him and shake him. He jolts up a bit. “Wayne..? Hey...I-I can’t keep my eyes open, man...can you guys try to keep me awake for a bit?”

Me and the others spend some time with Tate just keeping him and each other awake. I don’t think anyone slept well last night whatsoever.

Nancy and I did a lot of chatting while Ike nudged Tate every so often to keep him up. I look over occasionally as well. I end up taking over with state when Nancy and Ike started talking.

I soon notice he was staring down at something in his hands. I follow his gaze. It was a picture of a woman. She seemed young and pretty, a smile on her face and the sun shining behind her. “Don’t you think she’s beautiful?” He asks us softly.

I look at him, about to answer. But he wasn’t looking for one. “She was only 35 when she died. I was ten. She never looked a day over twenty though. She was always smiling and laughing. The sun seemed to be her best friend,” he says softly. I think I knew who this woman was. It was Tate’s mom in the picture.

“She went to every single one of my games,” he continues. “She loved soccer as much as I did and never missed one game. It didn’t matter if I won or lost. She was just happy to watch me play. But one day...the sun seemed to leave. She smiled less. Laughed less. She was getting really sick. She still went to my games but it was so hard for her. And when she ended up in the hospital...my dad started recording them for her. And we’d go visit her right after and show her the video. During one of my big games in the finals, she got worse. And then she just...stopped breathing. I was still in the middle of the game when she had died. It was my first game she had ever missed. I felt like I would never play again so she wouldn’t miss another. But then my dad gave me this picture. He told me that as long as I kept this on me, she’d never miss another game. Now it’s my lucky charm. I take it with me everywhere...” he tells me. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I don’t think I could. 

“I’ve lost my mom, too,” Nancy eventually says. “She didn’t die or anything like that. She was just gone one day, leaving me with my dad and my brothers when I was a little girl. When I got big and famous, I always thought she would call Ken day and I would be able to hang up on her. I wanted the last word. But I never really heard from her...”

I had never lost anyone like that. i don’t think I could imagine something like that. I didn’t say anything, not having a story to share. Ike said nothing as well.

“If the kid dies, maybe we’ll get to leave,” Ike says.

We all look at him. “Excuse me?” I ask.

Ike said nothing else. He just stood up and left. Nancy hurried after him to get answers. I stayed with Tate. “Can you make me some tea..?” Tate asks softly.

I nod and go to the kitchen. Tate follows me. I spend time making tea with Tate. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Tate dipped his tea quietly. “...I’m really scared of dying,” he says out of the blue.

I look at him. “I am, too. It’s alright.”

“I don’t want to die here,” he says. “I don’t want to be murdered or poisoned or...or anything...I just want to go home and see my dad again.”

I gently put a hand on his back. He flinched a little bit. “I want to see my family, too,” I say. “We’ll Be Fine. We can fight through this. We just can’t let the bear win. We can’t kill each other.”

Tate was quiet for a bit before standing up. “Wayne, I get what you’re trying to do here...but...someone is going to die. We all know it...I just won’t let it be me...”

Tate walked off before I could respond to him at all. I frown a tiny bit. He must be terrified right now. I slowly leave as well.

I end up finding RIta and Tyler in the library. Tyler sat against a bookshelf and Rita was laying on the floor, her head in his lap. I walk over and sit next to them. Tyler smiles. “Oh, hello, Wayne. I’d ask how you’re feeling today, but that’d be a stupid question.” He sighs.

Rita smiles a bit. “As long as he’s here, we might as well let him relax with us,” she says to him. Tyler nods in agreement and I smile. I spend time relaxing with Tyler and Rita. The three of us grew a little closer.

“So how did you two end up meeting?” I ask them. Tyler smiles a bit. Rita sits up.

“We’ve actually always known each other,” Tyler says.

Rita smiles and nods. “Childhood friends and all that,” she adds.

Tyler smiles. “It was a couple years ago during the beginning of summer when we started dating. Rita was getting an irrigation system set up inside her greenhouse and I was outside building her folks a chair because one of there had broke after a termite infestation. Her mom came out and gave me two glasses of lemonade. I went into the greenhouse to give Rita her's when she grabbed me and pulled me into a kiss,” he says.

Rita’s face turns a bright red and she gently punches him on the arm. “Don’t lie to him you jerk.” She grumbles as he laughs.

“I didn’t kiss him,” she corrects. “I gave him a hug. I told him I couldn’t handle hiding my feelings for him. I was in love with him. I had been for a while but I hadn’t told him. I was worried that if I did, he wouldn’t feel the same and it would make things weird. But then he told me he felt the same way. Then we kissed,” she says.

Tyler smiles and rolls his eyes. “On the cheek,” he says. “I kissed her on the cheek.” I smile a little bit. They were honestly kind of cute.

Tyler gets up and helps Rita to her feet. “We’re gonna head out,” Tyler tells me, taking her hand. Rita nods in agreement and waves as they leave.

I wander my way into the changing room. Ike was there, using a punching bag as a target for his paintballs. He must have heard me walk in because he stops firing and looks at me. I smile a bit and wave. He sets his gun down and gestures to the bench.

I slowly sit down and he sits next to me. He sighs and gently rubs his head, clearly having a bad headache and not trying to hide it. “Wanna try shooting my gun?” He offers in his gruff voice.

I nod and he passes it to me. I spend time having Ike teach me how to use it. The two of us grew a bit closer today.

I pass his gun back to him and he slings it over his shoulder again. “How did you ever get so good at this?” I ask him. He smiles a bit and sits back down. “I suppose it started with my first visit to my local paintball arena for my birthday. I lost but I had a lot of fun. So...I broke in about a week later. And I did it again and again. I kept sneaking in and taking out the people who were playing. When I finally got caught, I thought I was going to get in a lot of trouble. But instead I was offered a job. They used me for promotion.”

Maybe Ike should be the SHSL Luckster. There’s no way most people could get a deal as good as that. If I snuck into the gym I trained at after hours, they’d definitely kick me out and get me in trouble.

“Someone who could never be beat in paintball is what I was prompted as,” he continues. “It worked and we had a lot of business from that point on. I got money and I got to play my favorite game. So I was happy,” he says. Ike had gotten off easy it seems. Most people who break into places don’t get paid. Ike stands up. “I’m gonna go. It’s getting late and I’m tired.” He heads off.

Soon the nighttime announcement plays and I head to my room.

I stop by Perry’s room on the way there and knock. He opens the door a little and smiles thinly. “Hello, noble knight,” he says wearily.

“How’s Harold doing?” I ask him carefully.

Perry’s smile fades. “...I should go make sure he’s sleeping well. Goodnight.” He shuts the door in my face. I sigh deeply and just head to my room.

I coughed and groaned in pain in my bed as the night went on. I felt even worse. I tossed and turned and cried until I fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadiler! - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

In the morning, I woke up with an aching stomach and a pounding headache. I felt like my throat was on fire. I was dazed and the world spin occasionally. Getting out of bed was a hassle and I almost fell a few times. But I knew staying in bed would help nothing.

I went to the kitchen with the intention of eating some food. I managed to choke down some oatmeal when Patrick and Cassidy showed up. Both looked like they were doing horribly.

“Hey guys...” I murmur softly. My throat was sore and scratchy. More like abhoarsr whisper.

Cassidy just nods in recognition. Patrick didn’t say much for a moment. “We were going to go to the library and look for something that might help,” he says. “We could use some help.”

“Yeah, sure thing...” I respond raspily. I follow the two of them up to the second floor. But a sharp pain in my gut and the feeling of bile rising in my throat makes me detour into the bathroom.

Cassidy and Patrick watch me go and end up waiting outside as I vomit into the toilet. I ended up expelling all my oatmeal into a toilet.

I stumble out of the stall once I was done, groaning softly. I notice the supply closet door was open. I walk over and look inside.

Ike was slumped against the back wall. His head looked like it had been caved in and blood soaked his face. He didn’t move at all.

My eyes widen and I stumble back, letting it a choked scream. Patrick and Cassidy run into the room quickly and look inside the supply closet as well. Then the body discovery announcement plays.

I could hear people hurrying into the room as I stared at Ike’s corpse against the wall. Not again...I didn’t want to do this again. But there was no denying it. Ike Travis, the SHSL Paintballer, was dead.

**Killing School Life - Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier!**

Monokuma waddled into the room soon, holding a tray with paper cups on it. “Antidotes! Get your fresh, poison-curing antidotes here!”

Everyone takes a cup and downs it contents. It went down hard and tasted terrible, but I started feeling better almost as soon as I got it down.

The bathroom was crowded now with everyone trying to look into the supply closet. But no one else seemed to be missing at least. I was still near the font of my group so I wiggle my way in to look the body over.

Ike’s head was caved in at the front, causing blood to soak his face. His eyes were wide open and his jaw was slack with his mouth half open. It looked like he had taken damage in other parts of his body, too. His left arm was broken and his chest and stomach were both bruised horribly.

The mop and bucket that was usually in here were both missing. It also looked like someone cleaned the floor recently. I leave the bathroom.

The hallway had a similar look to the floor; wet and recently cleaned. But I could see speckles of red water here or there and it clearly led from the library. I head in there.

The library didn’t seem to have anything wrong with it. But it seems some people had left several different piles of books stacked up neatly around the room. I walk over to one of them and move some of the books out of the way. THere was a paintcan hidden amongst the books. It was dented around the bottom and splashed in blood. “This wasn’t here before...” I murmur.

The trail of cleaned floor lead me to the archive. The room seemed a bit messier than the last time I was here. A cope boxes had fallen over, their contents spilling out. Some of them were soaked in blood. There was a note here as well, also covered in blood. It was hard to make out, but I could read _In the archive––––––escape–––––Ike, come alo––_

It seemed like there was a blueprint here. It was a map plan for this floor. There was another room in the supply closet Ike was found in. There was a hatch drawn into the blueprint, but it didn’t look like it was part of the original design.

I left the archive and went off to find Jess. I needed to see if she had spoken to anyone about alibis yet.

I find Jess talking with Patrick and Rick. The two were walking off just as I got over there. Jess turns and almost walks right into me. “Oh! Wayne, hello there. You almost gave me a fright!”

“Ah, sorry, Jess,” I say. “I was just wondering if anyone had told you anything about what they might have been doing last night.”

“Some people did,” she says. “Rita was making soup last night from a family recipe that calms stomach aches. She gave some to Perry when he came in to get water for Harold. Rita says he took a bowl of the soup.”

I nod. “Okay, thanks for the help, Jess.” I head off.

One of the classroom doors was open a little. I peek inside and see the mop and bucket here. The water was red.

I head down to the kitchen and see the pot of soup sitting on the stove. Several bowls sat in the sink. It seems Rita and Perry weren’t the only ones to get this special soup.

The trial announcement plays. I sigh softly and head off to the elevator. The others were waiting there quietly.

We enter the elevator and wait for the others. Soon we were all there and, with a groan, the elevator begins to move downward. Just like last time, no one spoke. This was not the time for friendly conversation. We were about to enter another trial. One that would decide our fates of surviving or dying. Someone in this elevator was a killer and if we didn’t prove who it was correctly, we were all doomed. This was it. The elevator shudders and stops. The doors slide open. It was time for the second class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Descriptive head gore.


	14. Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier! - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone walks over to their podiums silently. No one had anything to say to anyone at the moment. That was probably for the best.

Francine and Ike had portraits standing in their podiums now. Francine’s was crossed out like Betty’s, but Ike’s looked like it had been splattered with a couple paintballs. It made it a little hard to see his face.

“We should begin with the body,” Rick says.

Cassidy nods in agreement. “Of course. Ike’s cause of death was head trauma. That’s undeniable.”

“But he wasn’t killed immediately,” I say. “Someone beat him first. There was bruising along his torso and his arm was broken.”

“Must’ve been a lot of aggression in the killer,” Nancy murmurs.

“Or maybe they just didn’t have the strength to take him it in one hit,” Jamie says. “Many of us didn’t even get out of bed that day, or did you just forget that?”

“Now ain’t the time for your shit, bookworm,” Nancy growls. “I’ll fucking pummel you later!”

“Moving on, we should determine a murder weapon,” Patrick says.

“Whatever it was, it was heavy and blunt,” Jess says. “It would have to be able to be held like a weapon, too.”

“Like a paint can?” I ask. “Because I found one hidden in the library. It was soaked in blood.”

“ _That sounds like the murder weapon to me_ ,” Sasha writes.

“It sounds like a suspect if you ask me,” Cassidy says.

“You already have a suspect? So soon?” Perry asks her.

“Yes. And it’s you,” she says.

“E-Excuse me?!” Perry demands. “You are accusing me of such a crime?!”

“Is there anywhere else we can find paintcans?” Jamie asks. “I can’t think of any reason another person would use them for a weapon.”

“It’s not Perry,” Harold cuts in. “Someone...Someone came into the room while he was gone. I was going in and out of consciousness but I saw someone that wasn’t him enter his room.”

“Can anyone confirm he was out doing anything?” Patrick asks.

“I can,” Rita says. “He came into the kitchen to get some water for Harry. I made him eat some of my soup and let him take another bowl back to his room for Harold.”

“That doesn’t eliminate him as a suspect,” he replies.

“But we can’t prove it wrong,” I say. “We don’t have anything that says Harold is lying and Rita is able to back it up.”

“Let’s move on from this for now,” Cassidy declares. “We can come back to it if something else comes up.”

“I want to talk about why Ike was in the bathroom supply closet in the first place,” Jamie says, sounding smug. “Because I did find something interesting.”

“Huh? What is it?” Rick asks curiously.

“An escape hatch in a secret room behind the supply closet!” Jamie demands excitedly.

“And you didn’t think to actually tell everyone or go into the room yourself?!” Rita demands angrily.

“Uh...well, the body was in the way,” he says. “We’d have ruined the investigation by moving it around, right?”

“Who cares about that? We could have escaped!” Tyler says angrily.

“No, I don’t think that’s quite right,” I cut in.

Jamie blinks and looks at me. “What? You’re saying I’m wrong? Ha!”

“It’s nothing personal, Jamis,” I say. “But...yeah, I am.”

“Oh, I bet it isn’t!” he says sarcastically. “I’ll show you, then! We’ll prove who he wrong one is here!”

Of course Jamie had to be stubborn in the middle of a trial. I’d just have to prove him wrong here before we could move on, then.

”There’s an escape hatch in the school!”

”I saw it on a blueprint for the floor!”

”The blueprint was even in the archives!”

“Yeah, I saw that blueprint, too,” I say. “But I don’t see why Monokuma would leave an obvious escape like that for us to discover. It just feels off to me...”

”Why do you have to doubt such a gift?”

”You think it’s fake, don’t you?”

”That blueprint was real, I know it!”

There it was out of nowhere. I flaw to his argument. “Let me cut through those words!” I shout out.

Jamie stops talking for a moment. “...huh?”

“That blueprint was real...mostly. But that escape hatch had been drawn in by someone else. That whole room was probably fake!” I say.

“So that means Ike went to the supply closet in the hopes of finding the escape only to be beaten down,” Harold says.

“Is that really what happened?” Cassidy asks. “I think your view of the evidence is a little skewed.”

“What exactly are you trying to get at?!” Harold demands.

“I’m saying that isn’t what happened. It should be clear what’s going on,” she replies coldly.

What is going on? Cassidy seemed to know, but I knew she wouldn’t say it. If I could figure out what she was talking about, I could get the trial continuing. I just had to think.

_What was Ike doing in the supply closet?_

He was looking for the secret room

_Why would he know about it?_

He saw it in the archive.

_What was he doing in the archive?_

He had been summoned there with a note.

_What was on that note?_

A splatter of blood.

Of course, that’s it! That had to be it! “I have an answer!” I declare.

“And what would that answer be?” Perry asks. “Do not be mistaken, Young Harold is an absolute genius.”

“Genius or not, he’s wrong,” I say. “Ike was murdered in the archive. The room is a mess and there’s a note there that had been summoning him with blood on it.”

“So Ike probably didn’t even believe the blueprint,” Tate says. “It sounds like something we wouldn’t totally buy.”

“The killer probably planned on killing him in the supply closet, but he didn’t believe it,” Jess says. “So they had to deal with him there.”

“There would have to be a trail of blood,” Harold says. “But nothing like that was around.”

“No, but there was a trail of water,” I say. “The mop from the supply closet had been used to clean it up. But someone hid it in a classroom.”

“We still don’t have a suspect,” Tyler reminds us. “Harold said that someone snuck into the room while Perry was out getting some soup. Since Rita can agree, we don’t have a reason to not believe Harold.”

Rick looked like he wanted to say something. I glance at him. “Rick, something wrong?”

He stiffens a bit. “No!” He quickly. “But...But that doesn’t make sense...Harold’s alibi, I mean.”

“Are you saying I’m a liar?” Harold asks angrily.

Rick shakes his head quickly. “No! I’m just saying...well...I was out in the hallway trying to get Sasha out of bed for a while. I never saw anyone enter Perry’s room.”

“Well...i-it must be because you left before it happened,” he says after a moment.

“Well...maybe...” Rick murmurs. “But...”

“Harold, it sounds like your little tidbit can’t hold up,” Patrick says.

“Preposterous!” Harold demands. “I’m telling the complete and utter truth! Just because you morons can’t understand that doesn’t make it wrong!”

“Well...I had seen Perry going back to his room when I finally left Sasha alone,” Rick murmurs. “And then I got some soup.”

Harold didn’t say anything to that. I couldn’t tell if he was furious or terrified.

“That means the little shit is a little liar!” Nancy demands. “Never trust a brainiac!”

“Then we can go back to our original suspect,” Patrick says casually.

It seems like things had become clear again. The answer was staring everyone down. And I think we all knew it now. The killer was—

“It’s me,” Harold says quietly. “I’m the killer. I murdered Ike.”


	15. Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier! - Killing Life Trial Part II

...wait, what? Harold was the killer? That wasn’t the answer anyone came to.

“What the hell are you going on about?” Jamie asks. “You can’t be the killer!”

“It wasn’t easy,” Harold says, ignoring Jamie. “But I had used the time I was alone to make the note and the blueprint. I left after Perry gave me the soup. I took one of his paint cans with me and handled the situation as you deduced it.”

“It...It can’t possibly be the kid, can it?” Nancy asks, looking uncertain.

“Well, he does have a motive and the means,” Rick murmurs.

“I cannot let this go on,” Perry cuts in. “I appreciate the act, dear brother, but it is time we stopped lying to everyone. I am the true killer, friends!”

“He’s lying!” Harold demands. “I’m the killer!”

“Wait, why would either of you lie about it?” Patrick asks. “You don’t seem like the type to do something like that.”

“I didn’t have the heart to admit I murdered anyone,” Harold says. “I knew it would crush Perry.”

“That is quite sweet, but not the truth,” Perry retorts. “Harold walked in on the deed after I failed to return the water to him. Then he requested I tell no one of what happened and let him aid in the deception.”

“But...But why would either of you do it?” Jess asks softly. “Harold, you’re just a kid! And Perry, you’re so sweet. I can’t see either of you as killers...”

“Simple! Young Harold seemed nearly on the brink of death. I wasn’t going to let my brother die, so I killed to save him,” Perry says.

“So you value the life of him over everyone else here?!” Nancy demands.

“Absolutely,” Perry says bluntly. “Tell me, gladiator. If it were any of your siblings, would you not do the same?”

Nancy didn’t respond to him at that. She looked deeply bothered now.

“Besides, I heard his comment the other day about Young Harold dying. I figured he would be a perfect victim for my task,” he adds.

“I did it to survive,” Harold says. “Perry is just lying to help me.”

Both stories sounded believable. Everyone seemed to feel the same because no one knew what to think.

“Vote for me!” Harold demands. “I admitted to it first! I’m guilty!’

“Nonsense, it is I who murdered the rainbow general!” Perry demands loudly.

One of them had to be lying to cover for the other. But how could I be certain of which one it was? Well...actually...there was one way to know...

“One of you is lying,” I say. “And I know exactly which of you it is!”

Perry seems to smile in response while Harold only gets angrier. “Oh yeah? How are you going to prove it?’ Harold asks me.

“It sounds like you don’t like this idea, Harold,” I ask. “Like you’re afraid of the answer.”

“Are you as stupid as you look?!” Harold demands angrily. “I know damn well what you’re planning!’

“Young Harold! Watch your language!” Perry demands. Even now, in the middle of a trial and potentially dying, he was acting so caring for Harold.

“Sh-Shut up!” Harold demands. “Just shut up already! Stop trying to do the right thing all the time! Let me do this, Perry!”

“...Harold, you’re not the killer, are you?” I ask after a moment.

“Yes I am!” he snaps. “I even admitted to it! I’m the killer! Vote for me already! Why are you idiots all just stalling?!”

“Wayne, if you know any solid way to decide, I suggest doing it now,” Cassidy says. “The constant impediment of the case is beginning to get on my nerves.”

I nod. “Right, of course.”

“I SAID SHUT UP ALREADY!” Harold screams loudly. “Listen to me! Listen to me, goddamn it! Just because I’m a kid doesn’t mean you all get to talk down to me! You’re all a bunch of idiots compared to me!”

“Harold, it’s time to put an end to this already!” I yell out.

“You don't’ know what you’re talking about!” he screams back. “I’ll prove all of you morons wrong! I’ll prove I’m the killer!”

“You are extremely–”

_”You’re all idiots!”_

“–small and weak–”

_”I’m not just a kid!”_

“–when compared to Ike–”

_”Stupid stupid stupid!”_

“–in every physical way!” I shout through his words.

“Are you already forgeting something so obvious?!” he demands, grinning crazily to himelf like he already won. “Ike was weakened by the effects of the poison! I had the full capability of taking him down like that!”

This was it. It was time for the trth to be unveiled! “No, you’re wrong!” I shout out.

Harold’s smile drops away. “I...I’m wrong..?”

“You were weaker than any of us. We all watched you collapse and you were bedridden for a day. Even weakened, you couldn't have possibly taken down Ike!” I demand.

Harold had no response at all. Perry smiles calmly. “Well! It sounds to me like this is about over. Would you mind wrapping this all up, Wayne?”

Having Perry use my real name was a little jarring, but I nod in response. “Of course.”

“The killer probably started planning the murder as soon as Harold collapsed. They wanted to try to keep their brother safe, and being told he might die sooner than the rest was only an incentive to work faster. They found a blueprint in the archive and used it to fabricate an escape as a trap to use. Then they summoned someone they decided was a worthy victim. Ike, who had mentioned he didn’t care if Harold died. The killer made a note for him to go to the archive to find an escape route. They had most likely gone with him and taken the paint can. I doubt Ike would have mentioned it. But when Ike saw the blueprint, he didn’t believe it at all. He was probably starting to ask questions and the killer had to act fast. So they beat him with the paintcan until he died. Then they tried to hide the weapon and handle the body. That’s probably when they bumped into Harold. Harold instantly wanted to defend the killer for their actions and had them keep quiet about what they did. He probably mopped the floor and came up with the plan to put Ike in the supply closet. Then he started formulating lies to help cover their tracks. And all of this was possible because you were the killer, right, Perry?!” I demand.

Perry just continued to hold his usual bright smile. “Yes, that’s all correct. I murdered Ike in cold blood. I never planned on lying about it, but Young Harold insisted I did.”

“What the fuck is the big idea trying to get us all killed?!” Jamie demands angrily. “Are you psychotic?!”

Tears starts to fill Harold’s eyes. He tries to blink them away but they started to trickle down his face. “I couldn’t...I couldn’t let Perry die for me...I wasn’t going to let my brother die without a fight! He’s all I’ve ever had!”

“Ever since our grandfather died,” Perry corrects. “Ah, I miss him as well. He was such a kind old man. Did you know he’s the reason I got into art in the first place? And he was always encouraging Young Harold to study and read. But he happened to die when we were younger. It was a sad time. But he was our inspiration. He told us never to give up on each other. We’ll always have each other, he would say so often.”

Harold was still trying, and failed, to hold back his tears. “You can’t do this to me...” he whimpers pathetically. “You can’t just leave me like he did! I need you! I’ve always needed you!”

Perry just laughs warmly. He was always so kind and considerate...I still couldn’t imagine him as the killer. “I won’t be leaving you, Young Harold. I’ll be sure to watch over you with our grandfather.”

“This is dragging on,” Patrick says. “Let’s get to the vote already.”

“Great idea!” Monokuma cheers. “It’s time to vote! Who’s the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?!”

Everyone, with heavy hearts, puts their vote in for Perry.

“That’s right! Perry Peters, the SHSL Artist, is the killer!” Monokuma cheers.

Harold lurched forward and grapples onto Perry tightly, sobbing grossly into the paint and clay stained smock. “NO! NO! Not Perry! Don’t kill Perry! Please! Kill me instead, I don’t care!”

Perry gives a sad smile and gently ruffles Harold’s hair. “Please don’t worry about me, dear brother. This is for the best.”

Despite his words, Harold wouldn’t let go. Patrick and Jess had to pry him off of Perry kicking and screaming.

Perry steps away so Harold couldn’t get him with another surprise attack and turns to face us all. “I apologize for what I have done, but I hope you all understand why I did it. And I have one final request...treat Harry as if he were your own brother. He’s going to need everyone to work together for him, no matter what he says.”

There was a heavy, oppressive air in the trial room that accompanied Perry’s words. His final words. His final request. For everyone to watch over Harold in his place. I don’t think any of us could match up to him, even working together.

“Now that all the mushy crap is done, we can get rolling!” Monokuma cries out cheerily. “So let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!” He slams his hammer down on the button.

Harold rips his arms away from Jess and Patrick and makes a run for his brother. “PEEEEEEERRRYYYYYY!”

The doors open and the chain flies out. It clamps down onto Perry’s neck. Harold reaches for him. If Perry had reached out, he probably could have grabbed onto his brother. But instead, he just gave his usual warm smile as a few tears collected in his eyes. And then he was dragged out of our sights without another word. A video begins to play for everyone.

**Perry Peters has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Perry stood in a large art gallery. It was dark and seemed to be nighttime. Paintings and statues filled the seemingly endless halls. All of them were of Monokuma, mostly his face over famous works. Perry seems insulted by the art. Things once pure and wondrous were now tainted and ugly.

There was a sound of footsteps and a flashlight from down the hall. Perry looks at it then at the gallery again. He knew what he had to do. There was only one way to fix this travesty upon art itself.

**Color Me Surprised**

Perry begins pulling a painting off the wall and smashes it with a solid kick through the back. He tears several more off the walls. He breaks their frames and tears the papers and spits on the art. He comes across a statue and shoves over, having it shatter on the ground into pieces. He stomps on the Monokuma head until it was just dust.

Perry’s rampage stops momentarily as he comes across a rather large painting. It seemed to be of him and Harold and an old man. But all their faces were painted over with sloppy Monokuma faces.

Rage seems to boil through Perry as he rips down the painting and being ether smash and tear at it relentlessly. He didn’t plan on stopping until there was nothing but molecular scraps of f left.

A flashlight shines toward him as he was tearing apart the paper canvas and he looks at it. Monokuma was there, dressed as a security guard. He shouts and Perry makes a run for it down he other end of the hall, dropping the mostly destroyed painting behind. Monokuma gives chase.

Perry eventually comes to a large elevator. He presses the button and the doors slide open. Paint of every color gushes out like a tidal wave, slamming into Perry and making him disappear under it before he could even react.

The paint fills the massive hall, eventually stopping about halfway up it. Monokuma was sitting on one of his paintings, shining his flashlight around, when something bobs to the top of the paint.

It was Perry, his body soaked in a rainbow of colors and paint seeping out of his mouth and nose. Monokuma slaps a card on his forehead that read _LOOK, DON’T TOUCH_.

The trial room was silent by the end of the execution. Even Harold has stopped his crying and screaming at some point during it.

“I...I hate him...” Harold says weakly, drawing the attention of most of the people in the room.

“Harold, what are you saying? You know that isn’t true,” Jess says softly.

“Yes it is!” he demands. “This is the problem with everyone! No one ever listens to a thing I say! I’m not just some dumb little kid you can all ignore! I hate Perry! He...He abandoned me! He left me here all alone, just like grandpa! Everyone keeps leaving me behind!”

I wish I could have comforted Harold. Maybe it would have made things easier on him. But I couldn’t think of anything to say to him at the moment. He stormed out of the trial room and took the elevator up alone. Soon after, the rest of us got on and left.

The ride up was silent and so was the march back to our rooms. Jess tried knocking on Harold’s door for a while. I didn’t check to see if he ever answers, instead just going into my room.

I didn’t sleep for a while. I was kept awake by dread and despair. I fell unconscious at some point, though.

**Chapter 2: Deadly School Life Made Deadlier! - Completed!**

Wayne, ~~Betty~~ , Patrick, Sasha, Nancy, ~~Ike~~ , Harold, ~~Perry~~ , ~~Francine~~ , Jamie, Cassidy, Jessica, Tyler, Rita, Rick, Tate


	16. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons - Daily Life Part I

**Daily School Life - Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons**

I pull myself out of bed just like every other day. The routine was tiresome but to be expected. Although it seems I had slept through the morning announcement for once. It was an hour after it usually plays.

I get ready for the day and then pause. I get on my hands and knees and fish my saber out from under my bed. I didn’t feel disgusted when I held it. In fact, it made me feel a bit better. Like I was protected or safe. I head out of my room, holding it tightly in my grip.

There were only two people eating breakfast today. Jess and Harold. Jess seems to have made Harold a bowl of cereal, but he was just stirring it around quietly. It was already soggy.

The look Jess gave me when she saw me staring told me I shouldn’t get involved. I head to the kitchen instead of saying anything.

I got myself breakfast and eat it hungrily. It had been about two or three days since I last got plenty of food, so I really needed this.

When I walked back out and sat down, Jess decided to pull me into a conversation. I wasn’t sure if that was going to be more awkward than the silence.

“So did you sleep well at all?” Jess asks me, a hint of concern in her voice. “Some of the others were worried when you didn’t get out of bed.”

I take a bite from my food quietly. “Uh...yeah, I guess I did. I must have been exhausted is all. So where is everyone?”

“Oh, they all went off to explore he new floor,” she says. “The rooms that used to be locked off down here are open now, too.”

I nod a little bit. “I guess I’ll go check that out in a bit, then.” I look at Harold. He had stopped stirring his cereal and wa shuts sitting there quietly. I think he was listening to us.

“...Harold, are you alright?” I finally ask. Jess didn’t look happy that I did.

Harold was quiet for a bit. Then he shoved the bowl of cereal off he table and caused it to shatter. Jess flinched and curled up on herself a little. “I’m going to do some work. Don’t bug me,” Harold says. He walks off.

I look at Jess but she was hurriedly getting to work on cleaning the mess. I don’t think she wanted to be bugged at all, so I left to go explore the new rooms when I finished my breakfast.

The first room I go to is the bathhouse, since it was the closest. There was a locker room here. Not much else to it other than a wall of lockers. There were two bath areas, one for boys and one for girls. It was pretty standard and not very important, so I move on.

I go into the nurse’s office next. There was lots of different drugs here. Vitamins, antibiotics, and other things used for the sick or weak. There were also bandages, scalpels, disinfectant, cotton balls, and even blood bags. This room could handle almost anything less than a coma or severed limb. It kind of sucks it was closed off until now though.

I make my way up to the newly opened third floor to look around up there. To my right were another two boring classrooms. There wasn’t much to them as usual.

Directly in front of the stairwell was a recreational room. It had a dart board, a pool table, some couches and a table, and a rack of magazines to read. There was also some bottles with chess pieces in it sitting on a cabinet. The entire room felt cozy and relaxing. No one was in here at the moment, so I left.

I head down the hall and find the art room. There were a few rows of easels. Someone made a statue of Monokuma, though it appears the others have defaced it by now. There was an art storage room in the back. It had lots of paint and clay and other supplies, including mallets of various sizes and a sink for cleaning. The thought of Perry enjoying this room crossed my mind. I quickly left.

At the very end of the hall to the right was the next stairway. Blocked off, I move on to the left where the physics lab was. A massive machine here was whirring away loudly. A note stuck to it read ‘AIR PURIFIER’ in big, bold letters. There was a small lab storage area in the back with very little of interest inside. Equipment I didn’t care for and supplies I didn’t need. After surveying the area finally, I go off to hang out with someone. I needed a distraction at the moment.

I end up finding Rick, who had now entered the rec room. He was throwing darts at the dart board. Ten darts and they all managed to land right in the bullseye. I wasn’t really sure what else to expect.

He looks at me as I walk in and smiles, going to pull the darts out of the board. “Heya, Wayne! Hey, you wanna play darts with me?” It seemed a bit one sided, but there was no real harm in playing a game with him. I nod and take half of them. I spend my time beating Rick at darts. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I help Rick pull the darts out of the wall. “It’s weird how you lost like that,” I say. “After watching you hit ten bullseyes in a row, I wasn’t expecting to win at all.” I yank a dart out of the wall.

Rick chuckles awkwardly. “That’s the thing about my luck. I never know when it’s gonna lift me up or slam me into the floor. Even when I think I know exactly what it’ll do, I end up being wrong.”

I look at him. Luck seemed like a really complicated topic. One even he didn't seem to fully grasp.

“I just know that...it’ll keep me alive. No matter how bad stuff gets, Always end up surviving whatever gets thrown at me.”

“What about this game?” I ask him. “Do you thinkyou’ll survive this?”

“I uh...Well...” Rick’s voice trails off before he gave an actual answer. He seems to get lost in his own thoughts, a soft frown decorating his face. He soon returns and looks at me. “Sorry, I’m being depressing. I should go.” He hands me the rest of the darts and heads out of the room. I sigh a bit and leave to find someone else to spend time with.

My search takes me to the library. Sasha was here, drawing again. She was back to drawing about our situation. She seemed to be putting more detail into it this time. She was working faster, too.

“Hey, Sasha?” I ask, wanton to get her attention.

She looks at me once I said that and smiles. “ _Hey there, Wayne. Did you come to spend some time with me?_ ” she writes.

I nod and walk over. “Yeah, I did.”

She smiles a bit, appreciating my company it seems. She lets me sit down next to her and I look at her comics. “Mind if I read them?” I ask her. She nods and organizes them before handing them to me. I spend time reading Sasha’s comic. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I finish reading and hand them back to her. While the style was very much still her own, the tone was much darker than anything I’ve ever seen of hers. And it made complete sense too. “I’ve never seen you make comics like these before. Normally they’re upbeat or silly. Is there a reason for that?” I ask her.

She nods a bit and grabs her notebook. “ _I just don’t like making that kind of stuff. Making sad or gory comics just isn’t my style. It’s not what I like to make. But this...this is a situation that calls for this kind of style._ ” She has an intense look on her face. She was really serious about this.

“But...it sounds like you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t like,” I say. “You shouldn’t have to do that to yourself...”

“ _I’m read to push past my artistic boundaries to do what I can for all of us. I’m going to tell our story of what happened here. I’ll be sure to escape and Jaime is coming with. Everyone will know what happened here._ ”

I could tell from what she was writing that her attitude was a new one. She was beginning to fully understand the gravity of our situation and was adapting to it. She was becoming a stronger person in general already. In my eyes, at least.

She stands up and collects her things. She doesn’t even say where she was going as she leaves the room. I sigh and head out of the library as well.

I find Jess in the nurse’s office. She was collecting Band-aids. She notices me walk in and turns around. “Oh, it’s nice to see you, Wayne!” She smiles brightly. “I was just getting some supplies while Harold worked in case anyone gets a little cut or scrape and needs a fast clean up! I’m so glad this room is opened. It makes dealing with injuries a lot easier now.”

I nod in agreement as she grabs a bottle of disinfectant and some cotton balls. “Would you mind helping me stock the rest of the items? I find it necessary to keep tabs on everything we have,” she says.

I didn't really have a choice. As sweet and kind as she was, she had a very demanding and forceful tone to her voice. It was like having your mom ask you to do something when she was really telling you. spend my time keeping stock of the room with Jess. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She smiles proudly as we finish. “We have lots to work with it seems!”

I nod. I was happy about it. “Hey, Jess, I know you’re a babysitter and all, but who taught you medical stuff?” I ask her.

She looks at me and smiles softly. “I suppose my dad did. He's a nurse at the local hospital, in the children’s wing. He knows a whole lot about helping the sick or the injured. And he taught me a lot. too. I need to be able to help my children if anyone gets an owie or boo-boo! Whenever I got hurt, he was there...I get hurt a lot.”

She bits her lip a little and smooths out her dress a bit. I felt like she brought up something she hadn’t meant to.

“I really miss the kids,” she says finally, changing the subject. “If I get out of here...no, when I get out of here, I’m going straight home to check on all of them. I know they missed me as much as I missed them.” She smiles and nods with certainty. “Yeah, I’m sure of it!”

She stands up. “Well, I need to be going. It’s getting awfully late and I promised Harold I’d peek in on him. Goodbye, Wayne!” She walks off with a small pep in her step.

I left the room just in time for the nighttime announcement to play. I head to my room and get ready for bed.

I flop onto my bed and sigh deeply. I felt sleepy already. My eyes drifted shut and I was out like a light before I knew it.


	17. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons - Daily Life Part II

I get up in the morning at the sound of the morning announcement this time and get ready. I head out of my room and to the cafeteria.

Everyone was out eating breakfast today. Harold was actually eating today, as well, but sat away from everyone. He had a laptop and some papers in front of him and he seemed to be working on something. He was completely focused on it.

I look at Jess. “Do you know what he’s up to?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “It wasn’t easy getting him out of his room. And when I asked him what all this stuff was, he told me to mind my own business.” She sighs softly. “I’m worried about him.”

“Why bother?” Nancy interjects. “He’s a little shit, just leave him alone.”

“Nancy, he’s clearly grieving!” Jess says. “Children lash out at people when they lose loved ones. It’s not an easy thing for them to cope with all the time.”

“The little shit had been lashing out at us since the very start,” Nancy says. “He even tried to kill us. You can’t trust brainiacs.”

“I think you should lay off him a little,” Tate says. “I don’t think you’re helping.”

Nancy ends up not saying anything else and just grumbling as she shovels some of her breakfast into her mouth.

After everyone's done eating, we get called to the gym by Monokuma. “I suppose it’s time for our next motive,” Cassidy says calmly. Everyone stands up and we head off to the gym.

Monokuma pops up onto his podium once we all entered. He had a box with him. He also had pencils and slips of paper. “Hello, hello, hello, everyone! I hope you’re ready for a brand-new motive!”

“Hey, I have an idea!” Jamie calls out. “Shut up!”

Monokuma seems to just ignore him. “Now then, this motive is a very special one! All of you need to write down the name of the one living person in this game that you about care most! If you don’t, expect some swift punishment! And don’t think I don’t pay attention to you guys. I’ll know if you lie~!”

“This hardly seems like a motive,” Patrick says. Monokuma simply giggles softly.

Without much of a choice, everyone walks up to Monokuma, takes a pencil and paper, writes a name down, and slips it into the box.

I stared at my paper for a moment when I finally got one and try to think about who’s name to write. Someone I trusted would make the most sense. I scribble down a name quickly: _Cassidy_. Then I put the paper in the box.

“So why did you make us do that?” Rick asks quietly once everyone was done.

“The person you wrote down gets the same kinda treatment you do! So say if you get away with murder in a trial, that person gets out, too!” he explains. “But don’t tell anyone whose name you wrote, or there’ll be severe punishment!”

“So...we could escape with someone?” Rita asks. “The person we care about most?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Monokuma says. “But I’m sure you kids wouldn’t care about the semantics with your short attention spans and all that. So I’ll be off! Buh-bye!” He hops off his podiums and disappears from sight.

“There’s no way someone would kill for that...r-right?” Rick asks hesitantly.

“Never say never,” Patrick grumbles. Then he turned and walked out of the room.

Everyone else soon walks out. I stayed there, frowning. Receiving the same treatment, huh? What could that have meant? Well, nothing good for sure. There wasn’t much I could do now, so I walked out of the room to go spend time with some of the others.

I end up heading to the supply room in the art studio. I find Tyler in there. He seemed to be building himself a very eloquent shelf for his room. It was only half completed at the moment.

He turns as he hears me walk in and smiles. “Hello! Did you come to watch me work? Or did you want me to make you something?” He sets the shelf down on the workbench.

I walk over. “It’s okay, you don't have to make me something. But uh...where’s Rita?” I ask.

He frowns a little bit and sighs softly. “This stupid motive has her all freaked out. She said she needed some alone time. I like to calm down with building, so I came here. You can watch if you want. I like to have company while I make stuff.”

“Sure, I don’t mind,” I say. I sit down next to him and spend time watching Tyler build a shelf. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So what got you into carpentry in the first place?” I ask Tyler after he turned off the drill he was using.

He blows off the sawdust and smiles a little as he thinks about it. “Nothing really...I just liked it. The thought of the kind of work and craft that had to go into making stuff like this was just wonderful. Something I thought was truly amazing. And I wanted to be able to do something like this. I stole some of my dad’s tools one day and a chunk of our fire wood. I spent a week making a small toy bear for my mom’s birthday. When I gave it to her and told her I made it by myself, she said it was perfect. She told me that I had a real talent and that I should keep working hard. I didn't really believe her...nothing I make is very good.”

I shake my head. “No, don’t get like that. You have a lot of talent here. I really like it

He looks down at his shelf and smiles. “Well everyone else usually loves it...so I do it anyway. I’m going to go hang this up in my room now. I’ll see ya later, Wayne.” He takes the shelf and walks off with it.

After I left, I found Patrick in the storage closet. He was rummaging around in a box of fabrics. He pulled stuff out, studied it, then torn it up this way and that.

“Uh...Patrick, what are you doing?” I ask him.

He looks back at me. I noticed finally he wasn’t in any costume. But I could recognize the cold, uncaring gaze of his eyes as they studied me. It made me shiver.

“I’m just trying to get some fabric set up for myself. I’m not letting this game stop me from creating anything.” He then he returns to tearing up the fabric.

“Uh...but don’t you need that stuff? Why are you tearing it all up?” I ask him.

He sighs deeply and sets the fabric down. “If you come help me, maybe I’ll explain it to you.”

He sounded annoyed, but I was curious. I spend time ripping fabric up with Patrick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Patrick grabs my wrist as I reached for some more fabric. “That’s enough,” he says calmly.

I nod a bit and pull my hand back. “So can you tell me why we just did all of that?”

He starts collecting some of the fabric. “So no one else will want to use it.”

“...huh? What do you mean by that?” I ask him.

He gestured to the torn up shreds. The rips were uneven and jagged and made the size of the fabric smaller. “Would you look at something like that and think about using it for anything?” he asks me.

I look into the box. “Well...I guess not, no.”

He starts putting some of the torn fabric back inside. “Exactly. You wouldn’t. Same with most people. And most people would assume it’s all ruined after the first few samples are shown to be. Which means no one will want to use this. And I know that here’s still good stuff down in the bottom.”

“But...Why do something like that?” I ask ask him.

“So I don’t have to worry about something stupid like sharing it. And this way, I’m ensured I’ll have something and not have to worry about others taking it,” he explains as he closes the box.

“Patrick, that’s really underhanded...” I murmur softly.

He looks at me like I said something stupid. “So?”

I wasn’t really sure how to respond and he left before I could, not even giving me so much as a goodbye. Patrick freaked me out a little.

I leave soon and end up finding Cassidy in the rec room, writing in a small notebook. She sees me and sits up straight. She moves the notebook so I couldn’t see it. I sit down next to her on the couch.

“What are you writing about?” I ask her.

She looks at the notebook then back to me. “Nothing that particularly concerns you.” The tone in her voice made it wind like snarky remark.

I frown a little. I had a feeling that wasn’t true. “Come on Cass, what is it?”

She grimaces and slams the notebook shut. “Don’t ever call me Cass!” She snaps angrily.

I jump at the sudden shift in her expression. She rarely showed any emotion and the sudden anger took me by surprise. “A-Alright...sorry...”

She sets the notebook down. “If you have come here to keep me company, I suppose I can allow it,” she says. I spend some time giving Cassidy clearly unwanted company. I think the two of us grew a little closer today.

“Why are you like this, Cassidy?” I eventually ask her.

She looks at me. “Like what?” she asks in her icy, monotone voice.

I sigh. “You know, this! Emotionless and lonely and...unapproachable.”

She thinks about how to answer for a minute. Or maybe it was if she wanted to answer. “There isn’t a lot I wish to tell you. Ally or not, personal information is strictly off limits.”

“Aw, come on, Cass...idy.” I added the last part in quickly. “Can’t you tell me a little? You don’t have to get that far in. I just...want to know why you act like this.”

She stared at me for a moment with cold, unblinking eyes before looking away. “Okay, fine, I will then. In my lifetime, I’ve seen a lot of bad things. Death, robbery, assault, and everything in between. I stared at the underbelly of humanity day in and day out. And I began to realize that it simply wasn't just the scum of the earth. This was humanity. And people who showed their emotions and let other close to them were the weakest. By that logic, I decided that it is wise to close myself off. Avoid others and never let anyone in...”

“Jesus, that’s...uh...wow,” I say. I wasn’t sure how to react to that. What exactly did she do? What was her talent?

“You’re the first person that I’ve let in for quite some time. It’s an odd and unfamiliar feeling.” She mused over something before she grabs her notebook and stands. “I’m done with the interrogation. Goodnight.” She walks off.

I don’t think I learned anything I really wanted to about her. Was Cassidy’s life that harsh and unforgiving? Why would she let me in, as she put it? Maybe I should take with her more to find out.

The nighttime announcement plays and I leave the room. I head to my room and get ready for bed. I flop down onto it and manage to get to sleep pretty easily.


	18. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons - Daily Life Part III

I get up in the morning and get ready for the day before heading out to the cafeteria to eat my breakfast.

Harold wasn’t here today to eat. Cassidy seemed to be absent as well. I doubted either of them wanted to be bothered much, so I just got myself a simple breakfast and sat down with Nancy and Tate to eat it.

“You’ve been hanging with the others more,” Nancy comments while she stuffs a fork-ful of eggs into her mouth.

“I’m just making more friends,” I say, a little defensively.

“Yeah, with Ice Bitch and the little shit,” she replies.

“Nancy, come on,” Tate says. “I wish you would stop acting like this...”

She just grunts and keeps eating her food. What was with her?

I look around the table as I went back to eating my food while Tate started to talk. Rita had her head on Tyler’s shoulder, eyes closed and no signs of food to eat for herself while Tyler had a rather large breakfast. Jess was working on some dishes in the kitchen even though I don’t think anyone was done eating. Patrick was eating calmly as ever. He didn’t seem to be wearing any costume today. It was a bit jarring at first. Jamie, Sasha, and Rick were all chattering amongst one another while they at 

Everything seemed so calm and natural right now. It was like being around normal teenagers doing normal things because life was just normal.

“...right, Wayne?” Tate asks me.

I blink and look at him. “Huh? Oh, uh, sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“I said there was no way someone was going to kill for this motive!” he says. “Everyone here has gotta have more than one friend by this point...or none.” He glances at Patrick as he says that. The cosplayer gazed back, making Tate look away.

“Uh...yeah, maybe,” I say. But I wasn’t completely sure of that right now. If it was being used as a motive, it had to be useful...

Everyone finishes eating their breakfast and heads off to do their own things. I leave soon after.

I found Jamie in the rec room. He wasn’t doing any writing today, it seems. He was just reading a book at the moment.

I walk over to him and sit down. He looks up at me, frowning, and adjusts his glasses. “Does everyone here just interrupt a man when he’s reading?”

“Uh...sorry?” I say uncertainly. “Does this happen often?”

“Rick likes to do that a lot,” Jamie says absentmindedly. “So I guess I’m getting used to it. If you wish to talk, I guess that would be alright.”

He didn’t sound all that excited to have me here, but I suppose I did interrupt his reading. I did want to learn more about a world famous author, though! I spend time talking with Jamie. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Jamie, have you ever thought you might be a little...unapproachable?” I ask him.

“...what do you mean?” he asks me after a moment.

“Well, I mean...you’re just uh...” Now I wasn’t sure how to word this.

“I’m just _what?_ ” he asks curtly.

“A little rude..?” I say after a moment.

Jamie was quiet. I could see his jaw shift to the side a bit and he crosses his arms. “What’s your point? I don’t have to make you feel good about yourself,” he finally says.

“Er...I guess not. But you might make more friends if you were just a little nice,” I say.

“Who says I want more friends?!” he snaps. “Do you think I’m not capable of making my own friends?!”

“No, wait, I didn’t mean it like that!” I say quickly. But Jamie was already heading out of the room with his book under his arm.

“Maybe next time, you should think about who’s actually being rude,” he says before leaving.

I sigh deeply. I guess I was a little out of turn myself. I’d have to apologize later.

After leaving the room and going off, I find Nancy in the kitchen. She was chugging an energy drink. She finishes off the can and crushes it in her hand like it was nothing. She throws it in the trash.

I clear my throat and she spins around. She sees me and relaxes. “Oh...Wayne...” She sighs a bit. Was she upset to see me? “Did you wanna do some more boxing with me?”

I shake my head quickly. “N-No thanks. Nancy!” I say in a hurry. I still felt the pains of our last fight. “How about we just get a bite to eat?” I suggest.

She smiles wide. “I guess that’s just as good. Can’t turn down food!” I spend time having a snack with Nancy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She finishes eating her steak and smiles. “That was almost as fun as boxing with you, Wayne! Thanks!” I smile and put my dishes in the sink.

She sighs as she thinks about something. “You know, as annoying as they can be, I really miss my family,” Nancy says. “We used to have steaks every Sunday night. It was part of our weekly ritual. I’d sit down with the family. I’d talk about whatever match I was in. My brothers would talk about school or friends or whatever. Pops would just listen to us go on and on. He’d never stop us or tell us he didn’t care. Because he did care. Pops listened to us. To our problems, our lives, even the pointless rambles we might go on. Everything we said was interesting to him.”

I smile a little. “That sounds really nice, Nancy. My dad loved listening to me and my sister talk about our matches and stuff. Even if he had gone to watch us. He was just happy we had an interest.

She snorts. “Siblings, huh? I got my brothers. Four older. We fought all the time about everything. What movie we went to see, what was on TV, who got to sit where, even who got to use the bathroom first. But they were always there for me, ya know? I could count on them to save my ass if I needed them to. They were awesome.”

“Me and my sister had sparring matches all the time,” I saw. “She’d fence with me and then I’d do a kendo match with her. It was a lot of fun. When we were little, we used Star Wars swords.

“And now we might never see any of them again,” Nancy says. She frowns sadly and soon stands up. “I’m sorry...I need to go be alone for a bit...and think.” She leaves the kitchen.

That took a turn for a worse. I hope she was doing okay. I decide to walk off, too.

I end up finding Rita in the library. She was reading an encyclopedia about flowers. I honestly wasn’t surprised. I sit down next to her.

She looks at me and smiles. “Hey there...” She had a worrisome look on her face. Something was on her mind but she didn’t mention it. “I haven’t read this book yet,” she tells me. “I’ve been trying to get my hands on it for years. It’s limited edition and super expensive. I’m honestly so happy it was here at all. It’s got a lot of info in it.”

I glance at the cover. I think it was some ins of encyclopedia. It sounded more like boring study material about flowers.

She looks at me, eyes sparkling with happiness. “Would you like me to read some of my favorite facts to you?”

I look at the book then back to her. “Well...um...” I look into her eyes again. I had no interest in plants or flowers. But still...I give in and nod. “Yeah, I’d love to hear some stuff.” I spend some time trying not to fall asleep with Rita. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She finishes reading and closes the book. My eyes shoot open as she does and I smile. “That was very...interesting, Rita.”

She grins happily and takes the book. “Isn’t it?! Plants are just so wonderful. Each species is so different and amazing. I just...” she sighs dreamily. She really did like plants. “Tyler loves to just sit there and listen to me gush about plants. He loves it when I talk about trees.” She looks down at the book.

“It’s a little ironic you’re dating a carpenter,” I mention offhandedly while I try to wake myself up. “It’s kind of funny when you think about it.”

Rita cracks a smile. “I guess it is, huh? One day he cut down one of my favorite trees and, well, I was absolutely devastated. He didn’t even realize it but then. I told him I was so mad I said I never wanted to see him again.”

“Geez, that bad, huh?” I ask. “When did you forgive him?”

“Well...he used the tree to make me something,” she says. “It was this cute wooden vase he made with wooden flowers put inside. They were so...so lifelike. It was beautiful. And he got them painted by a professional, too.”

Wow, that did sound just like something Tyler would do for Rita based on what I knew. These two were so...cliche that it was adorable.

She stands up. “I need to go talk with him.” She grabs her book and rushes out. I wonder what that was about.

The nighttime announcement plays and I go to my rom.

I get into bed and sigh softly. Things were calm and quiet. Things surely couldn’t get worse. What pathetic thinking...

I end up falling asleep.

————

Jess was wandering around the second floor hall, trying to find Harold. He needed to go to bed and staying up like this couldn’t be good for him. She was getting worried.

She heard the voices in the boy’s bathroom. She was able to get in without an issue. The voices were very muffled but seems to come from the supply closet.

She walks over and hesitates with the doorknob. This is where they found Ike the other day. She takes a deep breath and opens it.

Ike wasn’t there. The room was clean and normal. The voices were more audible and there was a gentle glow leaking out from the sides of the wall. She pushes on it gently.

The wall swings open to reveal a room. A room none of them had been in! And Harold was in the room, talking to...something?

“Harold...wh-what is that..?” she asks softly.

Harold spins around to look at her in the chair he was sitting in. The glow gave him an eerie look and the light reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes behind the glare. “Perry, of course. He’s back.”


	19. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

I wake up late once again. Much later. It was almost noon by the time I woke up! I get ready quickly and head out of the room.

The cafeteria was mostly empty. Harold was here getting something to eat. Cassidy was sipping at s cup of tea quietly while Patrick spoke to her about something. I could see Sasha eating a cookie in the kitchen.

I head into the kitchen to get some food and chat a little with Sasha.

“Hey, Sasha,” I say after she had finished off her cookie, “if you want to go find Rick and Jamie, maybe the four of us could go play some pool in the rec room.”

Sasha’s eyes light up at the prospect and she nods excitedly.

I smile a bit. “I’ll head up there. You can go ahead and round them up and meet me there, okay?”

Sasha nods again and hurries off. I head up to the rec center.

When I entered the room, something was immediately off. I could smell the powerful stench of blood. I found the source pretty easily, too. 

He locker in the room had blood pooling out around the bottom of it through the door. Something in there was bleeding still.

I slowly inch toward the door and out my hand on the handle. I had to make it fast. I quickly fling the door open.

I saw Tate inside the locker, eyes staring vacantly and a hole in his neck where the blood came from. And he fell forward as soon as I opened the door. I was sent to the ground, screaming, with him on top of me.

The door flung open as I screamed and some people ran into the room. I couldn’t see them, busy trying to get Tate off of me. He body discovery announcement plays as I’m helping to my feet.

I didn’t need the announcement to tell me the obvious. I knew what was happening he moment I opened the locker. Tate Oswell, the SHSL Soccer Player, is dead.

**Killing School Life - Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons**

Rick and Jamie were the ones to get Tate off of me and help me back to my feet. I was in hysterics, still yelling and crying a little. I was trying to pull away from the two and get as far away from the corpse as possible.

Jamie grabs my arm and slaps me across the face. That shut me up in an instant. “...thanks...” I murmur softly after a moment.

The others were arriving soon after my small episode. I had already begun to look around, occasionally sniffling and wiping my face off with my sleeve. How many more of my friends was I going to have to stumble across before I finally snapped..?

Inside the room and under the pool table, there was a broken cue stick. One end of the broken side had some blood on it. It looked like the stick was snapped in half since the break wasn’t clean at all.

I shuffle over to Tate’s body silently. He was laying on his back now, staring up at the ceiling with a look of shock on his face. Both of his hands were bloody, probably from trying to stop his bleeding. The left half of his body was soaked in blood. His skin was sickly pale and her blood flow seems to have stopped.

The injury to his neck looked pretty deep and clearly hit the jugular. But the wound looked kind it wasn’t made by the cue stick. What could have done that, then?

There was something stuffed into Tate’s pocket. It was a note summoning him to the rec center for a talk. It was signed in Tyler’s name.

The locker he had been stuffed in was bloody, but there didn’t seem to be anything else wrong with it. The side of it was bloody, too, as well as a pool of blood being there. It was seperate from the one leaking out of the locker.

There were some bloody foot prints that led from the body, to the pool cues, then to the door. That’s when they disappeared.

I head for the door and saw Nancy in the doorway. She had a very intense look on her face as she stared at the body. She looks at me with that same intensity before simply leaving the room. What the hell was that about?

I left the room and went to the kitchen to look around for anything. There was a bit of blood in the sink from the looks of it. Nothing in the room looked recently washed, though.

In the garbage can, there was a surgical mask. It was soaked in blood. I could practically smell it just from standing near there can. I doubted any accident could cause a mess like that.

In the laundry room, one of the washing machines had a simile stenrch. But it was empty now. Someone had washed something bloody in here as well.

During my search on the second floor, I noticed a box of nails had been spilled near the stairs to the third floor. That couldn’t be safe, right?

Inside the library, a book about botani was sitting out on a table. It was open to a page about predatory plants. There didn’t seem to be anything else wrong with the room.

While I was looking through a classroom, I notice one of the chairs had been tipped over. There wasn’t any signs of a struggle though.

The trial announcement soon played and I sigh softly. I head off to the elevator with the others.

We all got in and the elevator doors slam close. There’s a rumble and it begins moving downward. Everyone was quiet as it did, not having much to say at all. We were going to have to suffer through another trial and hopefully make it or alive. But no matter what happened, someone was going to die today. And I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that again.

The elevator comes to stop and he door slide open. This was it, then. It was time for the third class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neck gore


	20. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Wepons - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone goes to their podiums silently. Perry and Tate both had portraits in their stands now, their faces crossed off like the others who had died.

“The best place to start with had got to be the body,” Rita says, starting us off.

“The cause of death is rather obvious,” Cassidy says. “Neck wound. An artery was struck and he bled out.”

“Did anyone locate a weapon?” Harold asks. I as surprised to see him acting so...well...like himself, I guess.

“There was that broken pool cue hidden under the table,” Tyler says. “It was bloody. Maybe that been the weapon.”

“...no...I don’t think that’s it,” I say after a moment. “The wound didn’t look like it would match up with the pool cue.”

Cassidy looks at me with a bit of...surprise? “I didn’t know you could recognize that sort of thing.”

I chuckle nervously and rub the back of my head. “Well, my talent is sort of all about stabbing people. I guess I got good with stuff like that.”

“So you’re saying the pool cue couldn’t have been the weapon?” Jamie asks. “Why would anyone waste time planting evidence like that if this is the case?”

“Maybe the true murder weapon would point out who the killer was,” Patrick says plainly. “Having the murder weapon come from the room makes it seem more...Mm...spontaneous, I suppose.”

“I don’t think I’d call it spontaneous,” Rick says. “Tate was invited to the room. Uh...by Tyler, I think.”

Tyler looks a little surprised. “What? Hold on a second, what are you talking about?!”

“There was a note signed in your name found on the body,” Harold says. “Are you claiming you never wrote that?”

“Of course I am!” Tyler demands. “Why would I leave something behind with my name on it anyway?! That’s crazy!”

“Leave Tyler alone!” Rita demands. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“If you’re done pointing fingers, I would like to return to the case at hand,” Cassidy says coldly.

“If we can go back to the body, I have something I’m curious about,” Jess says.

“ _Was something wrong with it?_ ” Sasha writes.

“Well...I just wondered why it had been put in that locker,” she says.

“Maybe he got stuffed in there before he died,” Patrick suggests.

“Oh, like to make sure he didn’t get away and tell anyone!” Rick says.

Patrick nods and smirks. “Exactly. Force him into the locker and keep him from escaping. A smart move, if I’m to be honest.”

“It would be a smart move,” I say. “But...I don’t think that’s what really happened.”

Patrick frowns a bit. “Excuse me? Are you trying to say my theory is wrong?”

I frown a bit and nod. “Yeah, I am. I’m sorry Patrick, but it just doesn’t seem like the answer.”

He scowls angrily and seems to bare his teeth a little. “Than prove it to me.”

The pure hatred I could hear in his tone told me it would be more than just proving. But I knew he had to be wrong. I’d just have to prove it to everyone else here!

”Tate would have died fast, but not instantly!”

”Putting him in that locker would keep him in place.”

”It ensures to the killer he wouldn’t get a chance to run!”

“I’m not saying that doesn’t make sense,” I assure. “But I really don’t think that’s how the murder happened. There’s no evidence Tate was ever alive in that locker.”

“And what do you even know about evidence?!”

”Tate’s was forced into that locker as he was dying!”

”He must have fought for his life as he bled to death in there!”

That was just what I needed. I had an opening to end this! “Let me cut through those words!” I shout out.

Patrick seems taken back. “What the hell..?”

“Tate never struggled in that locker. There was no signs of any of that happening!” I say.

“How can you tell something like that? Do you have anything stronger than that?!” he demands.

“How about the pool of blood next to the locker? It was separate from what wa inside of it,” I say.

That managed to shut Patrick up. He didn’t look happy at all, though. But at least that was over.

“If he was attacked next to the locker, the killer was probably hiding inside of it,” Cassidy theorizes.

“Huh? What gave you an idea like that?” Rita asks her.

“The place the blood was pooled helps it make sense to me. There were no signs of a struggle, so he was probably taken by surprise. And judging by his bloodied hands, I’d say his first instinct was to try to stop the bleeding,” she replies.

“So then why put the body in the locker at all?” Rick asks.

“The killer might have been trying to set it up to work out a certain way,” Tyler says. “It must have been a trap.”

“What way could that have possibly been?” Harold asks him. “Are you just make assumptions?”

Tyler rubs the back of his neck. “Uh...I mean...”

“If that’s true, then we should discuss what everyone was doing today,” Patrick says. “The body was fresh enough to assume he died within an hour or two of being found. So...who has alibis?”

“Wayne’s the one who found it. He should say what he was doing there,” Nancy demands. She sounded angry about it. Did she think it was my fault?

“I was planning on playing some games with Rick, Sasha, and Jamie. The three of them came in a few second after I found the body,” I explain.

“None of us saw Wayne leave his room, either,” Cassidy says, “and I was in the cafeteria for a while. So was Jess. It wasn’t him.”

“Who did go upstairs then?” Rita asks. “Can we prove that?”

“Possibly,” Patrick says. “If we think about the evidence.”

“How about the blood in the sink and washing machine?” Rick asks.

“Most likely the killer trying to clean themselves up,” Cassidy decides. “This was a messy murder. The sink was probably for the real weapon and they cleaned their clothes in the washing machine.”

“Real evidence would be that box of nails we found,” Jamie says. “After all, how many people here own one of those?”

“Are you trying to pin this on me again?!” Tyler demands. “Come on, that’s not cool!”

“Well then tell us what you were doing.”

Tyler sighs softly. “I was waiting for Rita in a classroom on the second floor. She wanted to show me. Surprise and told me to wait there.”

Rita looks at him, confused. “What? I never did that.”

Now Tyler looks confused. “Rita, what are you talking about? Of course you did! You came to my dorm and asked me to wait in that classroom.”

“I was in the library the entire day, though,” she says. “I was reading a book about botani.”

“I saw a book for it laying out,” I say. “Someone has put that book out.”

“See?” Rita says. “I was reading.”

“But...But Rita...” Tyler says softly. He looked really confused and scared.

“Tyler...why are you lying..?” she asks softly.

Tyler tooled completely panicked. “But...But I’m not...”

Jess frowns. “Rita, you’re not seriously suggesting..?”

Rita...was beginning to cry. “...I...I don’t know...”

Tyler shakes his head slowly. “Rita...I-I don't understand what’s going on...”

“Tyler...why was there a bloody screwdriver in...in my room..?” she says through her tears.

Tyler looked completely shocked. “Wh...What..?”

“Rita, there was a bloody screwdriver in your bedroom?” Harold asks. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I...I didn’t want to admit it...” she says softly. “I couldn’t admit that Tyler would do something like that...”

“A screwdriver...” I murmur. “...something like that would fit the wound perfectly.”

“Is this really out answer?” Cassidy asks.

I look at her. “Huh? What do you mean?”

She sighs. “Is Tyler truly the killer? Is that what all the evidence points at?”

I look back at Tyler and Rita. Rita was crying and looked desperate and heartbroken. Tyler looked panicked and terrified. Tyler...was he really the killer? Was this the answer we could all trust in?


	21. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapon - Killing Life Trial Part II

“Tyler, please,” Rita sobs, “you have to be honest!”

“There is plenty of evidence that points right to Tyler,” Jamie muses.

“ _Can we really trust it all?_ ” Sasha writes, a worried expression on her face. “ _What If Rita is lying here?_ ”

“There’s at least proof to her alibi,” Patrick points out. “Can we say the same for Tyler? After all, Rita isn’t hiding it up at all.”

“But I was there in the classroom!” Tyler demands. “I...I don't understand what’s going on! Rita, is the killer making you do this?!”

Rita just continued sobbing, not answering Tyler.

“We can prove Tyler was up there with the box of nails,” Jamie says. “But we cant prove his alibi.”

“I didn’t even put the nails there!” Tyler practically yells.

“Wait,” I say, “I think we can prove that someone was in the classroom.”

Tyler looks at me hopefully. “D-Damn right you can!”

“There was a chair tipped over in one of the rooms. I didn’t see any signs of a struggle so I think someone knocked it over in a hurry,” I explain.

“I was heading out of the room because of the BDA!” Tyler declares quickly.

“That means Rita and Tyler both have evidence to show they were in the rooms they claim to be,” Harold says. “Peculiar...”

“Either one of them could be faking it,” Patrick says. “Or maybe both. Now that would be interesting...”

“Patrick!” Jess demands. “Please, this isn’t supposed to be entertaining for you!”

Patrick rolls his eyes but says bothering about it. That had been weird.

“Maybe we need to take a moment to just step back and look at things again,” Rick says. “We could have glazed over something.”

“Hey Cassidy,” I say, “if you were in the cafeteria all day, how could he killer have slipped past you to enter the kitchen or the room with the washing machines?”

Cassidy frowns a bit. “Well...I suppose I was in the kitchen for a while. They could have done the murder itself on that time frame. Preparing my food took a while. And they could have cleaned the weapon when no one was around after the fact.”

“Hey, didn’t you say you would have seen anyone go through?!” Nancy demands. “What’s the with damn lying?!”

“That’s not important, is it?” she asks. Did she lie...to protect me? When she had, it was when someone tried to say I was suspicious. That’s not normal for Cassidy.

“So the killer has a decent time frame before anyone else arrived to the cafeteria and while Cassidy made herself food,” Rick says. “Mm...that just opens stuff up again!”

“It proves Rita and Tyler are both equally suspicious,” Patrick chimes in.

“But...But I found the weapon...” Rita says weakly.

“ _It could always be fake,_ ” Sasha writes. “ _We don’t really know._ ”

“Are you saying I’m lying? Why...Wh-Why would I do that..?” she asks weakly.

“Why would Tyler be lying?” I counter. “One if you is the killer. I’m sorry Rita, but it’s down to you two.”

Rita didn’t say anything but her lip quivered. Was this genuine or was she just a good actress?

“We’ve been going around in circles,” Jess says. “Is there anything we can do to confirm things?”

I frown a bit and think about it. There had to be an answer, I just needed to concentrate.

_Who are our remaining suspects?_

It’s between Rita and Tyler now.

_Why is it those two?_

Neither can hold up their alibis. Both have different stories.

_Is there any strong evidence to point away from Tyler?_

It would have to be...the bloody surgical mask.

_Who does that mean the killer is?_

The killer would have to be...

“Oh my god...” I murmur. “...I have an answer!”

Everyone looks at me. Tyler stopped yelling and Rita stopped crying. Everyone else was silent as well. They were airing for my answer.

“The killer...it has to be...” I point to who I thought the killer was. “...Rita!”


	22. Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons - Killing Life Trial Part III

Rita stared at me with big eyes. “...wh...What..?” she says softly.

“I said it was you,” I repeat. “You murdered Tate.”

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re trying to say?!” Tyler demands. “It can’t be Rita! She’d never do that!”

“Why are you defending her? She’s trying to put the blame on you!” Jamie demands.

“I still love her!” Tyler snaps angrily. “I don’t...I don’t understand what’s going on, but I’ll defend her until the end!”

Rita stares at him with soft, watery eyes. “Tyler...” she says softly.

Harold was oddly silent for now. I would have expected him to say something. But I couldn’t think about that right now.

“Rita, there’s some pretty strong evidence of you being the killer!” I demand.

Rita was silent for a second before getting a very serious look on her face. “Oh yeah..? Then prove it! Prove it to me right now!”

Despite what she was saying, I had no doubt in my mind she would fight me on this the whole way. But I had to stop her. I knew this was the answer.

“In the kitchen trash—“

“ _Stop attacking me!_ ”

“—there was a bloody—“

“ _I won’t stand down to this!_ ”

“—surgical mask which I know—”

“ _Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!_ ”

“—you own for allergies!”

“That’s...That's not proof!” Rita demands. “Anyone could have had that! They could have come from the nurse’s office for all you know! I couldn’t even get the weapon without Tyler noticing, so there’s no way for me to be the killer!”

This was it! Time to end this! “No, you’re wrong!” I yell out.

Rita seems taken back by my outburst. “I...I am..?” she asks weakly.

“During the first week, when the subject of the toolkit’s came up, we were told you had Tyler’s toolkit because he didn’t need it. Which means you would have a screwdriver in your room!” I say.

Rita was silent now. She just stared at me, her mouth shut tight and her eyes wide.

“Rita,” Cassidy says, “show us the bottom of your boots, please.”

“...okay...” she says softly. She pulls off on of the rubber boots and shoes us the bottom of it. It was tinted a light red.

“Those should match out bloody footprints,” Cassidy says. “I didn’t think she had enough time to deal with those correctly.”

Rita says nothing and just puts the boot back on.

“Let’s go over this whole thing one more time to make sure everything fits,” I say.

“This entire thing starts with the killer writing a note for Tate. They signed it in Tyler’s name as one of many ways they planned to frame him. They have Tyler go wait in the classroom on the second floor for them as a way to fit the plant distrust. They took a screwdriver from their room, which they had because of Tyler, and went to the rec room after delivering the letter. They hid inside the locker to create a surprise attack and ensure Tate wouldn’t run. Once he got close, they kept out and stabbed him in the throat. He probably died within seconds. The killer got bloody thanks to how they killed him, getting it on their clothes and the surgical mask they always wear. They broke a pool cue and bloodied it to fake a weapons They stuffed Tate into the locker and hurried off to change and wash their clothes. They could do all this without anyone noticing because Cassidy was in the kitchen making food. By the time the BDA played, the killer had to ditch the mask and clean the screwdriver while the kitchen was empty. They probably took their clothes too. They planted the book in the library on their way up as a cover up for an alibi and left a box of nails that Tyler most likely gave him by the stairs. And then they joined the crowd. So Rita, did I miss anything?!” I demand.

Rita looks down at her feet, silent and sullen.

“Rita...it...it was you..?” Tyler asks softly.

Tears began to well in Rita’s eyes once more. “I...I’m sorry...it had to be you, Tyler. It was just the easiest thing to do!”

Tyler still looked confused. “I don’t understand why...”

“Oh, you big idiot!” she says loudly. “I did it for us! So we could leave together and just spend the rest of our lives with one another!”

“So that’s why you framed Tyler,” Cassidy says. “If everyone voted for him, we would lose but he would get to live thanks to the motive.”

Rita nods weakly, tears silently trickling down her cheeks. I don’t know if she was sad about what she did or sad about being caught.

“You killed him for us..?” Tyler asks softly.

Rita kept crying. “Yes...I just wanted us to be safe and happy...there’s so much we haven’t got to do yet and I didn’t want to waste hat chance dying here!”

Tyler pulled her into a hug in an instant. It seems to catch her off guard. “Tyler..?”

Tyler was starting to tear up, too. “You didn’t have to. We...We could have figured something out...”

She shakes her head. “I’m...I’m so sorry...”

Tyler just kept hugging her. “...I guess we’ll never get to see Paris. It’s overrated anyway.”

Rita lets out a weak laugh and dries her face. But more laughter started to rise up. It was from Monokuma.

We all look at him as he cackles in his seat. “What’s so funny..?” Rick asks softly.

“Oh, nothing! Just you kids and your wild delusions,” he says, waving us off dismissively. “I mean, getting out and seeing Paris? Ha! Good luck with that one!”

“What do you mean by that..?” I ask.

“You’ll figure out in due time,” Monokuma says. “But for now, we have a vote to ge to! So, who’s the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?!”

With heavy hearts and sure minds, everyone puts in a vote for Rita. Even Tyler and Rita did.

“That’s right!” Monokuma cheers. “Rita Castles, the SHSL Gardener, and by extension, Tyler Oak, the SHSL Carpenter, is the killer!”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘by extension’?” Patrick asks.

Monokuma pulls out his mallet. “So let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIME!” He slams it down on the button.

Two chains fly out of the doors and clamp down around Rita and Tyler’s necks. Tyler got a look of shock on his face and instinctively grabbed Rita’s hand. Both of them are dragged away screaming and leaving all of us in a stunned silence. Then, a video starts to play.

**Rita Castles and Tyler Oak have been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Rita and Tyler sat side by side on a swan boat heading down a small river. The swan was white and black with a jagged red eye and a half stretched grin on the beak. The two of them looked nervous and focused. They hold hands tightly.

The river soon comes up to a small, dark tunnel. It was red and pink with dull lights around the entrance, which was shaped like a heart. The boat heads inside and the two are lost to the darkness.

**Tunnel of Love**

The tunnel was very dark and dim. It was hard to see much anywhere. A soft whirring sound filled the space and slowly gets louder as the boat continued along. Swans cleanly cut in half were starting to appear.

The whirring gets louder and louder and hey eventually hit another boat. There was s small cluster of them all being fed to a massive buzzsaw slicing the boats in half. Once he two of them finally saw it, they were up next.

Rita leaps out of the boat, never releasing Tyler’s hand, and dragging him along. Their boat hits the saw and they run off into a nearby door. Vines crawled or from the bottom of the door.

He two run into a room with a massive plant sitting in the center. It looked like a pitcher plant but it had massive cone-like tendrils that moved and wiggles about. When the two entered, the tendrils lashed out. And they went right for Rita.

Rita screams and throws up her arms quickly, looking away. Tyler jumps in front of her and get wrapped up instead. He screams as he’s swiftly dumped into the pitcher plant as Rita watches in shock.

Monokuma leaps up from somewhere with a massive pair of gardening shears. He instantly starts to wildly stab the huge plant. There’s muffled screaming from inside before it all goes silent, light green and red ooze seeping out of the many holes.

Rita had tears welling up in her eyes as she watched. Monokuma turns to her, the blades glistening in blood, both the plant’s and Tyler’s. She quickly runs off through a new door, terror and tears blinding her to the many caution signs around it.

She runs into a new area and eventually stops, weeping softly and wiping her eyes. There had to be an escape somewhere she could find. She looks around and sees she’s surrounded by steel girders and concrete tubes. Something loud bangs above her.

She looks up in time to see wet cement come splashing down. She only got out half s scream before it hits her, solidifying almost instantly and leaving a statue of her former self in a terrified scream.

Monokuma comes rushing in with a hard hat, muscular and wielding a sledgehammer. He brings it up and slams it down onto Rita, shattering her into millions of pieces in an instant. Only dust and gravel remained.

We all watched in total silence as the scene played our before us. I wasn’t sure what I was suppose to say to that at all for a while. But eventually, I found the words.

“Why...Why both of them..?” I ask softly.

“Because Tyler was technically guilty!” Monokuma declares.

“But he didn’t do jack shit!” Nancy snaps irritably.

“Correct, but Rita did,” Monokuma says. “By writing down his name on that paper, he shared all potential punishments with her!”

“Even...Even Execution via trial?!” Jess demands.

Rick had a dark look on his face. “That...That could have been...”

“Why was the motive still in effect?” Cassidy asks. “You typically end them before a trial.”

“Correction,” Monokuma says. “I end the ones that impair the trial. I never said when I would!”

“That’s not fair!” I demand. “You can’t pull shit like that!”

“Oh yeah? And who’s gonna stop me?!” the bear demands.

I was silent. Patrick chuckles softly. “My, my, this game sure does know how to stay interesting. I wonder what’s in store for us soon...”

I don’t think anyone had the energy to handle Patrick right now. So we all just get into the elevator and take it back up. Then, we all go to our rooms in silence. What else was there to say that wouldn’t make the sinking feeling around us worse?

Everyone sleeps with empty thoughts and heavy emotions.

**Chapter 3: The Ones You Love Are the Greatest Weapons - Completed!**

Wayne, ~~Betty~~ , Patrick, Sasha, Nancy, ~~Ike~~ , Harold, ~~Perry~~ , ~~Francine~~ , Jamie, Cassidy, Jessica, ~~Tyler~~ , ~~Rita~~ , Rick, ~~Tate~~


	23. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Daily Life Part I

**Daily School Life - Chapter 4: Betrayal Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold**

I couldn’t sleep well that night. After waking up for the fourth time, my throat was getting dry. I left my room to get myself a glass of water.

I head into the kitchen and get myself the water, drinking the whole thing in one go. It made me feel a little better. On the way out of my room, I did see something odd. It was Jess and Harold, heading up to the second floor. What were the two of them doing?

I follow after them quietly, going up to the second floor with them. I see them disappear into the second floor bathroom and I go after them.

When I entered the bathroom, it was empty. Jess and Harold had disappeared entirely. At least, that’s what I thought until I heard the gentle voices coming from the storage closet.

I walk into the room and see nothing out of place. It was still eerie to be here. I still imagined Ike slumped against the wall, face soaked in blood and his head caved in. I notice the voices were coming from behind the wall.

I walk over to the wall and out my ear to it. Someone as definitely talking. I push on the wall and it swings open with very little resistance. I end up stumbling inside.

I stumble in but manage not to fall. I didn’t hear talking anymore because everyone in the room was looking at me. Jess and Harold were both here, bathed in the light coming from a laptop sitting on a desk. And on that laptop...I saw Perry’s face staring at me curiously.

“What...What’s going on here..?” I asks softly, mostly focused on the laptop.

Harold shoots a glare at Jess. “I told you to make sure no one was following us!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see him!” she says quickly.

“Ah, Young Harold, are you allowing me to see more of your friends?” The laptop with Perry’s face asks.

“He was just leaving,” Harold says. He tries to push me out of the room, but he didn’t have a lot of strength. I was able to just walk past him pretty easily.

I go to the laptop and lean down a bit so I was eye level with the avatar on the screen. “Harold, did you make this?” I ask him.

He scoffs. “I didn’t make anything. It’s Perry! Can’t you see that?”

I look at Harold, who seemed annoyed. Then I look at Jess. She had a nervous smile on her face and pleading eyes. Did she want me to lie to Harold about this?

“Harold, you know this is just a program, right?” I ask. “It’s a computer.”

Harold frowns a bit. “What are you talking about?”

I sigh and look at the screen. It was staring at the three of us in confusion. Could it hear us? “How do I talk to it?” I ask.

“You speak to him, of course,” Harold says. I look at Jess.

She smiles nervously and makes a typing motion. I turn to the computer and type _Harold thinks you’re really Perry_ into it.

The computer looks concerned now. “What? Young Harold, surly you don’t believe I’m your brother. You programmed me yourself!”

Harold looked angry. “Stop...Stop saying stupid things all the time...”

I type what he said into the laptop. “Young Harold, I am aware of your brother’s untimely death. He murdered, right? I have this information.

Harold was getting a panicked look on his face that was starting to make me uneasy. “St-Stop it...Stop it...STOP IT!” He attempts to slam his fists down into the keyboard of he laptop but I moved it out of the way. He ends up slamming them into the desk.

Harold stares at he desk for a moment before burying his head in his arms to hide the fact he was crying. But I could hear the sobbing.

I carefully set the laptop down and look at Jess. “Have you been enabling this?”

Jess says nothing to me. I don’t think she wanted to. She just goes to comfort Harold. I sigh softly and leave.

I get back to my room and manage to pass out on my bed for the rest of the night. I was exhausted and hoped Harold would be fine with Jess.

—————-

In the morning, I crawl out of bed sleepily and get ready for the day. This whole thing was making me feel exhausted. I don’t know how many more murders and deaths I could handle before I finally snapped. Not to mention what’s happening with Harold right now. I head out of the room, still feeling far too tired.

I enter the cafeteria and go get myself something to eat. It seems Harold and Jess weren’t out of bed yet. Under any other circumstance, I’d suspect they were dead. But after the events of last night, I knew why they weren’t here. That left seven of us here instead.

Nancy seemed to be angry about something. She was sitting all alone, staring into a bowl of soggy cereal that she probably hasn’t touched since she poured it. I was afraid she’d knock my head off if I bugged her, so I sat on my own today.

The others eat and talk quietly. Nancy sat alone, staring at her food until she looked sick. Rick, Jamie, and Sasha were all together as usual. And Cassidy and Patrick seemed to be talking about something. I wasn’t listening, though, so I didn’t hear. Everyone eventually left the table.

I felt like I was going to pass out right here on the table. I force myself to my feet. Exercise would help keep me awake for sure. I’ll just look around the fourth floor. I walk off to check out the new area.

More public bathrooms were here, directly to the left of the hall as I enter. A little farther down and to the left was the data processing room. It was locked up tight. I scowl. “More locked rooms...”

On the other end of the hall was the music room. It wasn’t much of a music room though. It only had a grand piano sitting on the massive stage. There were seats for people to sit in but not much else around. I leave the room and continue in.

The headmaster’s office was on the right, farther down the hall. To absolutely no surprise, it was also locked up tight. What’s the point of getting new rooms if they stayed locked?

There was also a faculty office. All of the desks had flowers on them for some reason. I felt like they were left here for mourning or something, but why would that be? There was other stuff here that you’d expect from an office. I decide not to question the flowers and move on. 

On the left were two more classrooms. Nothing of note here. At the very end of the hall was the next staircase and a chemistry lab. The most interesting thing here were the bottles in cabinets in the lab. There were three different cabinets, labeled A, B, and C. Cabinet A had proteins and other healthy things. B had medicines. C...was filled with different types of poison. I didn’t see any way of locking that cabinet, so I leave it be for now and walk off. Now that I was done looking, I decide to go spend time with the others.

I find Sasha in the library. She was back to her drawing. Today, she had gotten to us finding Tate’s body. She notices me the minute I walk in this time. She gives a hint of a smile before it disappears and she returns to her work.

I walk over and sit down next to her. She’s been working really hard on this project of hers. And it’s all for us. So our story can be told. I had to give her respect for such a thing.

She stops drawing and finally looks at me with a smile. “ _Hello, Wayne. How are you doing?_ ” she writes.

I wave a little. “Hello, Sasha. Still hard at work, I see,” I say to her.

She nods and looks down at the page. She sighs softly. I put a blank paper over it. “Let’s take a break from that. You know sign language, I’ve seen you use it. Would you mind teaching me some?” I hoped this would be a good distraction for her.

She smiles softly and nods. I spend time being taught sign language by Sasha. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“ _I think you’re catching on quickly,_ ” she writes down. I smile and nod. I knew some of the basics along with how to make the alphabet.

“How are you feeling right now Sasha? About...this whole thing?” I ask her.

She frowns a little and taps her pencil on her paper, thinking about what she wants to write. “ _I‘m...very sad right now. We’ve lost many of our friends. But Rick and Jamie have been there to comfort me and keep me company. And you have, too. I’m worried about everyone. I don’t know if they can all make it at this rate. I’m trying to stay hopeful but—_ ” The rest of it was scribbled out.

She sighs softly and sets her notebook down. She collects her things and stands up. She gives me a little wave and walks off. Now I was worried that I upset her. Or maybe the topic just wasn’t a good one. I end up leaving.

I end up with Jamie in the teacher’s lounge. He was sitting in front of a potted flower at one of the desk and reading a book. I think it was one of the books he had written...

He looks up at me as I entered and adjusts his glasses. “Wayne...hello there.” He sits up and places a bookmark into the book, closing it.

“Hey, I didn’t say you had to stop reading,” I tell him quickly.

“You’re going to start a conversation with me, right? Isn’t that why you’re here?” he asks me.

“Well uh...” I didn’t say anything else.

Jamie sighs softly. “It’s fine. Sasha and Rick want me to spend more time with the others anyway. Waste of time, if you ask me...”

“Good to know...” I murmur and sit down. I spend some time hanging out with Jamie. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Do you think we’ll be getting out of here soon?” I ask him after a bit.

He as heir for a moment before shaking his head. “No, not really.”

“Why do you think that?” I ask him. “Do you not trust everyone?”

“It’s just how Here sort of things go,” he says. “Usually by the end of something like this, you’d expect the protagonist and maybe one or two of their friends to get out.”

“Jamie, this isn’t a book or a show or anything,” I say.

“It’s close enough,” he says. “I mean, think about it. A class of some of the world’s most exceptional students stuck in a game of life or death in the very school they were meant to attend. Sounds like a good plot to me.”

I was quiet for a moment. He did have a point. This is the kind of thing I’d expect to be sold to teenagers. Some dumb dystopian book that get several sequels. “But this is still real life,” I say. “You can’t just hold your expectation up to what you expect as a writer.”

He gives me an annoyed look, like he’s heard this before. “Why can’t I?”

“Well...because it's real life,” I say.

“Even fictional books can be based on real experiences,” he says matter-of-factly.

“Jamie, you’re not listening,” I try to say, but he was already getting up.

“I’m going to go find Sasha and Rick. Have a nice day,” he says. Then he leaves.

I sigh deeply. I don’t know how helpful a mentality like that was, but I don’t think he was going to listen to a thing I said. I head off.

I found Jess in the dining room, calmly sipping on a cup of tea.

I walk over to her and sit down. She smiles, seemingly happy to see me. But she was clearly tired. “Hello, Wayne! I Uh...” she looks around. “...hope you weren’t disturbed by anything from last night.”

I smile softly. “Don’t worry about me. We don’t have to talk about that as long as Harold is all right.”

She smiles and nods quickly. “Yeah, of course! He’s doing well today, I think.”

I nod a bit. “Good. Do you mind if I have a cup of tea?”

She quickly gets me a cup and hands it over. “Here you go!”

I smile softly and take a sip. It was sweet and warm. I spend time drinking tea with Jess. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Have you always liked being around children?” I ask her.

She looks up at me. “Hm? Oh, well...I suppose there was never a moment where I disliked them. But when I started working with them so often, I ended up annoying them a lot!”

“I bet it wasn’t easy getting to where you are now,” I mention.

She smiles softly. “Well, I don’t think getting to a point like this is ever easy. I started with only a couple families a month. But...I suppose I started gaining popularity within my town by the end of the year when I started. And I guess it kind of spread.”

“If spread?” I ask her. “Spread how?”

“Well...their families and friends started wanting me to take care of their kids and watching over them when they were out and such. And then it just kind of kept going on like that,” she explains.

“I guess you just have a natural talent with kids,” I say.

She smiles a bit and shrugs. “I guess I do, but some kids take longer to get to than others.”

“I bet you always get them to like you in the end,” I tell her, smiling.

She smiles a bit and nods. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

The nighttime announcement plays. I get up. “I’ll be heading to bed then. Goodnight, Jess.” I head off to my room.

I get ready for bed and lay down. I end up falling asleep quickly that night.


	24. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Daily Life Part II

I find myself still having trouble sleeping well. Once again, I’m woken up in a cold sweat. This was becoming an issue.

I slowly sit up in bed and sigh, putting my head in my hands. Eventually, I got out of bed to go get some sleeping medication.

I opened my door and was about to leave my room when I saw someone. It...looked like it was Patrick. I quickly shut my door to a small crack and watch. He didn’t seem to notice me. He was looking at something in his arms. It was Monokuma.

He was petting Monokuma gently like he was a dog. Patrick seems to be smiling and saying something, but it was in a hushed whisper and I couldn’t hear it. Monokuma looked extremely relaxed. Then he disappears into his room.

I shut my door after that, no longer bothering to leave my room. What the hell had I just seen? What was any of that about?

I look at my door again before going back to bed and forcing myself to sleep.

—————

I shuffle out of my room the next day. There was probably some kind of sleeping medication in the nurse’s office or chem lab I could use. I’d have to look later.

I head out of my room and to the cafeteria. Everyone seems to be around today and eating breakfast. I get some food and sit down next to Nancy today.

She was actually eating this time but still didn’t look all that happy. When I sat down next to her, she just glared at me and went back to eating.

“Nancy, are you going to tell me why you’re mad at me?” I ask her.

“No!” she snaps, mouth full of food. She eats it quickly. “I’m not mad about anything!”

“Nancy, you’ve been glaring at everyone for a couple days now,” I say, worried. “If something’s wrong, you can tell me. We’re friends, after all.”

“Are we?” she says angrily. “You are haven’t been acting like it.”

“What? What are you talking about?” I ask her.

“You’ve been hanging out with all the others for like a week or two. You ditched me and Ike and state for everyone else! And now...now they’re both dead and you’ve just been ignoring it!” It looked like she was about to cry.

“What..? I’m not ignoring it!” I say. “They were my friends, too! Do you think this has been any easier on me? I can hardly sleep at night and I keep losing people I care about and I’m scared! Everyone is scared and this isn’t helping, Nancy!”

She stands up and socks me in the jaw. I grunt and fall out of my chair, falling to the ground with a thud. “Fuck you!” Nancy screams at me.

I groan and weakly push myself up into a hand. I put my other hand to my jaw. I didn’t feel ya blood and all my teeth were in place, but it ached a lot. I was definitely going to bruise. The others got up and hurried over to me, except for Patrick, who continued eating like nothing happened, and Cassidy, who watched everything silently.

Nancy stormed off in a huff while Jess and Sasha were pulling me up to my feet.

“Are you alright?” Jess asks nervously.

I was a bit shaky in my feet and my jaw was in a lot of pain. “I...I think...I’ll be okay...” I murmur softly.

“Take him to the nurse’s station to get something for that,” Cassidy cuts in.

Both Jess and Sasha nod and drag me off to the nurse’s station. There were ice packs there and Sasha gets me one for my face while Jess consoles me. During this, Monokuma summons everyone to the gym. The girls reluctantly help me get there.

Monokuma was sitting on his podium as usual, waiting for everyone to arrive. Nancy was the last to show up, standing in the back with her arms crossed.

“Geez, what a bunch of slowpokes!” Monokuma whines. “I thought I’d die of boredom waiting for you all!”

“Just get on with it,” Patrick says boredly. “You’re wasting my time.”

“Whatever ya say, Pat! This motive is very simple. It’s a revelation motive! See, someone amongst you is a dirty double crosser!” he exclaims.

“What are you trying to say?” Rick asks worriedly.

“Do I really gotta spell it out to you?!” Monokuma demands. “There’s a traitor! One of you is working for little ol’ me!”

“If there was a traitor, why would you only now openly admit it?” Cassidy asks.

“Now why would you go and worry about details like that?” Monokuma retorts. “All you guys need to know is that one of your so-called friends has been backstabbing you since the start!” And with that, he left, leaving us with only ourselves and our thoughts.

“ _He’s not telling the truth, is he?_ ” Sasha writes. “ _I don’t want to believe one of our friends would do something like that._ ”

“I believe it,” Nancy says from the back of the room, getting everyone’s attention. “You guys wanna talk about friendship and working together? Fine. But when push comes to shove, you assholes only give a shit about yourselves.” She heads for the door.

“Nancy, wait!” I say, going to follow. But Cassidy grabs my hand.

“Leave her,” she says coldly. “If Nancy wants to be foolish, let her. I doubt anyone is going to get through to her.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t worried the bear might be speaking the truth,” Harold says. “You seemed like the type to consider it.”

“What I consider is what I know. And I know Monokuma wouldn’t simply expose someone working for him without any reason. If you spend your time fretting over it, all you’re doing is playing into his hands. It’s really a waste of time to think about it for now,” she explains calmly. Then she heads out of the room. Pretty soon, the others trickle out.

I stood in the gym alone, thinking and frowning. Was someone really working for Monokuma? I don’t think I’ve noticed anything. Unless...

I leave the gym silently. Maybe I should just go talk with the others and try to forget about this.

I find Cassidy in the chem lab. She was looking through the different cabinets. I walk over to her and tap her shoulder.

She looks at me and brushes my hand away. “Yes, Wayne? What is it?” She sets a bottle of sulfuric acid back into the C cabinet. She looks at me.

I smile. “I just wanted to hang out is all.”

She sighs and looks back at the cabinet. “Fine, only if you help me take stock of these different bottles. Jessica would normally do it, but she is busy with other matters. So I’m doing it.”

I nod and spend time taking inventory with Cassidy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“I have a question for you, Wayne,” she says to me once we finish.

I look at her. “Oh, okay. Go ahead, ask me whatever it is you want.” I finish putting the bottles away and she sets down the clipboard she has been holding.

“Are you drugging my food by chance?” she asks me.

That was not something I would expect from her. I wasn’t really sure how to respond because it was just so...out there. “Um...no. I’m not drugging anything. Why would you ask me a question like that?” I was still surprised by the oddness and suddenness of the question.

She turns to me, looking irritated. “Don’t bullshit me, Wayne! ”she snaps suddenly. She advances on me and I backed up.

“What are you doing to me?!” She grabs the collar of my shirt roughly. “You’re making me...I don’t know! Feel stuff!” she yells.

Feel stuff? That was pretty vague. “Cassidy, do you like my company?” I ask her.

She lets go of me and moves away. “I...Of course...” she murmurs. She starts to lose her energy and return to her normal, more docile coldness. “Yes...Yes, I enjoy being around you,” she mutters coldly.

I smile, albeit still a bit nervous. “That’s good. Then it means we’re friends,” I tell her.

She looks at me and frowns. Well...more so than usual. “I’ll be taking my leave now,” she says to me before walking out of the room.

I watch her leave and shake my head. “I guess that’s not the answer she wants to hear.” I leave the room, too.

I entered the gym again to find Nancy. She was beating down a punching bag that I think she dragged in from the locker rooms. One massive swing sends the thing flying back. It looked worn and ready to burst.

I watch Nancy for a moment in silence as she swung at the bag again. This time, the bag ripped open. Nancy finally stopped beating on it and noticed me. She scowled. “What the hell do you want..?” she asks.

“Uh...I just wanted to come talk to you and hang out,” I say softly. She was scaring me a little right now. I was worried about becoming that punching bag.

She was quiet for a minute before crossing her arms. “Yeah, Fine, whatever. I won’t stop you...”

I smile a bit and walk over. My face still hurt from her punch but I was trying to ignore it. I spend time hanging out with Nancy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

By now, Nancy was sitting down against a wall with her arms wrapped gently around her legs. She was very quiet and just staring at the floor.

“...Nancy, you’re scared, aren’t you?” I ask her after a moment. “Scared of dying like the others...right?”

“I just want to go home and see my family...” she murmurs after a minute. “I miss them. And I’m worried about them...”

“I’m worried about my family, too,” I tell her. “But now isn’t a time to start turning in each other.”

“But what about the traitor?” Nancy asks. “If...If they’re out there...I don’t have a good feeling about this. What if they kill someone?”

“You can’t think about that right now,” I say. “It won’t help.”

“There you go again with your bullshit,” Nancy snaps suddenly. “Always just trying to ignore everything and hope it just disappears!”

“Wait, no, I don’t mean it like that, Nancy,” I say quickly, trying to defend myself.

“Cram it, Wayne!” Nancy stands up, now angry. “You can ignore this all you want, but it won’t work for me! So fuck off!” And she storms out after that.

I sat there as she left, now worried about her. “I didn’t mean it like that...” I murmur softly.

I walked into the art room after a while to find Harold there. He was drawing something on a sketchpad he had found here. I go over and peer over his shoulder.

The picture was over a flower pot. Looking up, I notice that he had taken one of the flowers from the teacher’s lounge and was using it as a model.

“Do you need something?” Harold asks me, not looking up from his work.

I jump a bit. “Oh, Uh...no, I don’t. Sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you in here drawing.”

“Well, I am,” he says plainly. He was quiet for a second. “If you want to join me, there are some extra pads and pencils over there.” He points to a box he pulled out of the supply closet.

I nod a little and go get some. I never really draw much but I guess it can’t be that bad. I spend time drawing with Harold. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Harold has finished drawing after me. I hadn’t done a very good job myself. Nothing was detailed and the lines were sloppy. It looked le a kid drew it. I glance at Harold’s.

Harold’s picture was drawn realistically. He had some tools laying around him for drawing evenly and had even managed to do the shading correctly. But he looked at it unhappily.

“Harold, is something wrong?” I ask. “It looks good.”

“No it doesn’t,” he says angrily. “It looks like crap!” He throws the sketchpad onto the floor.

I get up and go grab it. “Harold, what are you talking about?” I look down at the picture. “It looks fine.”

“That is the problem!” he snaps. “It looks perfect! It’s boring! It’s bland! It...It...It’s passionless! It’s just measured likes and calculated movements! It sucks!”

I frown a little and stare at the picture. It looked good to me. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. But then I thought about Perry’s art and realize the issue. “You’re trying to make it look like Perry’s style, aren’t you?”

Harold was quiet for a moment before nodding gently.

I put the sketchpad back into Harold’s lap. “Don't do that,” I say. “You aren’t your brother. You have a different style.”

Harold looks down at the picture. A small droplets of water splashed onto it. It was a tear. Harold quickly wipes the rest away. “Perry would have said something stupid like that to make me feel better...so...thanks...”

I nod a bit and smile. “I’ll let you stay here and practice.”

Harold nods silently and turns to a new page while I leave the room.

I enter the cafeteria again, planning on getting a snack before bed. Cassidy was there. Had she been waiting for me? She approaches me, looking serious as ever. “There’s something I want to show you,” she tells me.

“Uh...what would that be?” I ask her. “Is something wrong?”

“Just follow me,” she commands. She walks off, heading up to the second floor. I follow after her.

She stops in front of the boy’s bathroom. “Go into the closet.”

“Oh uh...I’ve already been in there,” I mention. “...Wait, how did you learn about it?”

“That’s none of your concern,” she says. “But this has nothing to do with what Harold has going on. I can handle that in my own time. Go look behind the bookshelf.”

I look at her before heading into the secret room like she asked. The computer was still on and smiles to me as I enter. “Hello!”

I smile thinly and wave a little. I walk over to it and type _Has Cassidy spoken to you yet?_ to it.

“Oh, I know her,” it says. “She came in yesterday night and looked around. She was very polite! Oh, but you’re probably here to see he thing she hid, right?”

I nod a little bit and look around. There didn’t seem to be anything on the room, though.

“Go check behind the bookcase,” the AI says to me.

Behind the bookcase, huh? I walk over and look behind it. There seemed to be a file there and I pull it out. It was a file from Hope’s Peak. I flip it open to read it.

It was a student file. It had information on everyone from our class. Someone had crossed out the pictures of everyone who died though, so I knew it was recent. Things were written in the margins too. Insults and other rude things. I flip through it.

I begin to see kids I don't recognize. They seemed to be the same ages as us, but most of them had their faces crossed out. Only six were still visible. Makoto Naegi, Toko Fuwaka, Byakua Togami, Aoi Asahina, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Yasuhiro Hagakure.

“More students?” I mumble to myself. Who were they? They weren’t familiar to me at all. I do remember they were having two classes per year however, to help with the growing demand of students. They must be the other class. I flip the page again.

More students I didn’t recognize. Diana, Derek, Ace, Craig...sixteen students for this class. They all seemed to be a year older than us. The class ahead of us, I assume. These pages were scribbled on too but only one face was crossed out.

Everything else after that has been ripped out of the book. I close it and go back over to the laptop, setting down the file and showing the different pages. _Can you tell me anything about these?_ I type.

The computer stares at the pages. “Hm...I know a little bit. I know about the other classes and the previous Killing game.”

I freeze. That sent a chill down my back. A previous Killing game? I had never heard about it. It was from students in this school. Why haven’t I heard about this?!

“By the end, six students remained. The ones without their faces crossed out,” the laptop continues. “But that’s all I know.”

I nod a little bit and was about to leave the room when it starts talking again. “Wait, hold on! I need to ask you something!”

I stop and look back at the laptop, waiting for the question. It seemed to hesitate a little before looking away. “Actually...no, nevermind. You can go. Goodnight. I won’t tell anyone about this, I promise.”

I nod gently and leave the area, heading to my room for the night just as the nighttime announcement plays. I put the file under my pillow and lay down. I was it like a light after that.

—————

It was late at night and Jess was going up to the bathroom alone. Harold had gone to bed early but she wanted to talk to the AI, Alter Ego, as it called itself. That’s when she ran into Patrick.

Patrick stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed and leaning on the wall. Had he been waiting there for her? The thought made her shiver.

“Jessica, I’m surprised to see you up so late,” he says. “What are you up to?”

“Just...going for a walk,” she says cautiously. “Why are you here?”

“Just waiting for you,” he says. “I wanted to see where you’ve been going every night.”

Jess freezes a bit. So he knew then. Has he been watching her? She made an alliance with him, but this wasn’t something she had counted on.

“I’d like to go see what it is you do every night,” he says. “After all, we’re supposed to be trusting each other.”

He was right. She was meant to be his friend and ally right now. Besides, she can’t lie about this anymore. “Follow me,” she says softly.

Patrick gave a light smirk as he followed her to the boy’s bathroom.


	25. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Daily Life Part III

I wake up again. Tonight I managed to actually get some more sleep at least. I pull myself out of bed and get ready for the day quickly. I grab the file, which had been under my pillow. I would show it to the others during breakfast since Cassidy already saw it. I leave my room.

The others were out here with the exception of Cassidy. They were all talking right now and none of them had food. I sit down at the table. “Hey, I found something interesting that Cassidy showed me,” I say.

Everyone looks at me. “What a coincidence,” Nancy sneers. “We were just talking about her.” From the looks on everyone’s faces, they were not saying good things.

“We were talking about how we shouldn’t be around her,” Rick says softly. “We’ve all decided that...we can’t trust her.” Everyone begins to nod or mumble their agreement.

I frown and set the file down on the table. “I think we can,” I say simply. Harold takes the file and everyone crowds around him to read it.

Jamie shakes his head. “This is weird. Why leave in those other two classes?” he asks.

Harold flips through the file. “It was probably done on purpose. These other students must be important somehow. The mastermind probably left it here for us to find too.” He closes the file and slides it back over to me.

“So you said you guys couldn’t trust Cassidy?” I ask them after the file is returned to me. They were all silent for a moment. They probably didn’t want to upset me after I disagreed with them.

“Well,” Jess begins, trying to think of a good way to put this, “we find she is uncaring of our safety. She is only concerned about herself. A person like that could...well...be the traitor.” 

I shake my head. “Cassidy wouldn’t do that!” I demand. “Besides, if we’re going with logic like that, why aren’t we pointing figures at Patrick?”

Rick frowns. “Wayne, I—” 

Cassidy exits the kitchen, holding a casserole dish in her hands with oven mitts on. Everyone stopped talking in an instant.

She sets the tray down in front of everyone. A lid covered it and plates and forks sat on the lid. She passes one of each out to everyone and serves us all some food. It looked and smelled delicious, but no one ate.

Cassidy looks at us all. Her frowns seems to grow. “Is anyone going to eat the breakfast I prepared you all?” She asks. No answer. “Do you all think I did something to it?” Still no answer.

I shake my head and grab the fork. Everyone watches me take a bite out of the food. They hold their breaths as if expecting some kind of horrible reaction. I smile. “It tastes delicious, Cassidy.” The others seem to hesitate for a moment before digging in as well.

Cassidy’s lips flicker into a momentary smile before she sets her mitts down. “I prepared this with my mother’s own recipe. It is her breakfast casserole. She puts lots of cheese in it, so I apologize if it is too much.” She servers herself and sits down to eat with the rest of us. Everyone finishes eating their fill and head off to do their own things. Once they’re gone, I give the file to Cassidy.

She takes it without a word. “I’m surprised you would do something nice for everyone,” I say.

She looks at me coldly. “I did it to attempt to gain trust. I heard them all speaking while I was in the kitchen. If they don’t trust me or suspects me of being he traitor, it makes me an easy victim for the next murder. Simple strategy, Wayne. Nothing more.” She finishes eating and stands up, taking the dishes to the skin.

I had a hard time believing that was her only reason, but I wasn't going to argue with her over it. I walk off to find someone to spend my time with.

I find Rick reading a book in the library. I go over and sit down across from him. He was reading a fiction book. I wasn’t too interested in the title though. He looks up from his book at me and smiles. “Hello! Did you come in here to read, too?”

That wasn’t my original plan, but I guess reading wouldn’t hurt. It's something to keep my mind off of...everything else. “Yeah, sure.” I grab a book from off the shelf. I wanted something about sports. I spend time reading with Rick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So what kind of stuff does your luck do?” I ask Rick after setting my book down. He sets his down too. “Well...it’s really complicated. My good luck and contagious luck just kind of happen randomly. My bad luck is uh...a bit different. In happens in these...waves. That’s a good way of describing it. The waves tend to...vary in intensity,” he pauses. It seems he was having trouble even understanding how his own luck worked.

“How do you know all of this stuff about your own luck?” I ask him. “Did you get told this by the people working for the school?”

Rick shakes his head. “No...well, kinda. They told me about luck and the research they put into it and hey had me describe to hem what I think my luck is like. Basically, there are times where my bad luck is very calm and times where it is really active. My good luck is more constantly and usually just Uh...helps me out with stuff. Like not dying.” He seems satisfied with that answer and he begins reading again.

I had no idea luck could be so complicated or was something you could study. Rick seems so calm about the subject of it. Is he happy with it? I was about to ask him when he slices his finger on a page.

Blood begin to pour out. “Ah! I need to go deal with this!” He gets up and runs out quickly. I sigh and leave, seeing as he was gone now.

I entered the rec room to relax and take my mind off of stuff. Patrick was here at the moment. He was lazily reading a magazine he grabbed from the rack. It looked like a gaming magazine.

I sit down next to him and peek at the pages. “I didn’t know they made magazines for video games,” I say.

Patrick looks up at me before looking back at his magazine. “I didn’t know you were a moron. Guess we learn something new everyday.”

Well he didn’t have to be a jerk about it. “Do you mind if I read it with you? I want to see what kind of stuff is in it.”

Patrick sighs softly and simply tosses it at me. “Go crazy. I’ve read this one before anyway.”

I pick up the magazine and start at the beginning. I spend time going over the magazine with Patrick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So do you like cosplaying because of your interest in video games?” I ask once I had finished the magazine.

Patrick looks a little surprised by the question. “Oh...I suppose you can say that’s how I learned about it.”

“Then what do you like about it so much..?” I ask him. “Making the costumes?”

“...being the characters,” he says after a moment. “I enjoy being the characters.”

“Really? Something like that is fun for you? I wouldn’t take you for the type,” I mention.

“Being someone else is fun,” he says. “Getting into their mindset, learning about their history, getting the details just right so you can really...become them. The experience is ruined if you can’t do it perfectly.”

“You take this really seriously, huh?” I ask. “Cosplaying must mean a lot to you.”

“...it’s the only thing that means anything to me,” Patrick says. He stands up from the couch and grabs the magazine. “We can talk later. Maybe. You aren’t totally unbearable...” He walks out of the room.

The only thing that means anything to him? Was this all he had for himself? Or was there something I was missing? Whatever the answer may be, I doubt I’d be getting it any time soon from him. I head out of the room.

I bump into Jamie while in the hall. He had his nose buried in a book that at least wasn’t his this time. 

He looks up at me, his glasses now crooked after bumping into me and having the book hit him in the face. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” he says.

“Oh, it’s alright. I’ve seen people get zoned out reading stuff before,” I assure. “What are you reading, anyway?”

“Stephen King,” he says, not really looking at me but instead focusing on his book. “I enjoy some of his works.”

“Oh, I see...” I wasn’t enough of an avid reader to know any more than a couple titles based on the movies. “I’m surprised you haven’t been reading anything local.”

“I already did,” he says. He finally closes his book. “I suppose you won’t be leaving me alone. Let’s go to the cafeteria then. It’s comfortable.”

I nod and head off with him to the cafeteria. I spend time relaxing with Jamie. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Do you miss your friends?” Jamie asks me after a bit.

I look at him. I didn’t expect him to sleep me something like that. “Well, Yeah, of course I do. I miss everyone from back home. Why?”

“So you’re used to having friends then, right?” he asks me.

“Uh...yes..?” That didn’t answer my question and now I was just more confused.

“Do you know nice things to do for your friends then? Stuff to...cheer them up?” he asks next. He never looked at me.

“...do you want to do something nice for Rick and Sasha?” I ask him free a moment.

Jamie says nothing, still not looking at me. As he embarrassed?

“Well...” I begin, “if you want to do something nice for them, you can just try hanging out with them. Maybe getting them to talk with you. Just spend some time with them.”

Jamie was still quiet for a little bit. And then he nods. “Yeah...that makes sense...um...thanks.” He stands up and leaves without so much as a goodbye.

I sigh and watched him go. He must not get out much. I stand up as well and head off.

The nighttime announcement played so I decided to head to my room for the night. I managed to get to sleep well once again.

————

Jamie was leaving Sasha’s room later in the night. He had spent an hour with her. Neither said much, they just wrote and drew respectively. But things had felt fine.

As he was leaving her room, he saw someone entering their own room in the dark. It was Rick. He slips into his room silently.

Jamie watched him disappear. What has he been doing up so late? And why was he out of his room? Did his mean..?

Jamie stares for a while longer before heading to his own room. He had things to think about.


	26. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Killing Life Investigation

I wake up late the next day. I quickly get dressed and head out to eat breakfast. I decide to take my saber with me today. I felt like holding it again.

No one was out in the cafeteria by now. There was no real telling of how long I’ve been asleep, but I guess it was long enough for everyone to finish eating breakfast.

I head into the kitchen so I could get some food. Rick was in there, cutting up an apple with a knife. He looked really uncomfortable while using the knife and his motions were extremely slow and hesitant.

I walk over and gently tap his shoulder. Rick screams and drops his knife. I quickly back up and he spins around to face me.

“Wayne?” He lets it a deep sigh of relief. “You scared the shit out of me! Can’t you try to give me some warning when I’m holding dangerous things?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out,” I say. I notice him gently pull the hand that had been holding the knife into his sleeve so I couldn’t see it.

“Did you want something?” he asks me, turning to get back to work on making apple slices.

“I just came in to get something to eat,” I say.

Rick picks up a couple slices and hands them to me. “Here. I usually don’t eat a whole apple anyway.”

I smile and take he slices, eating them. “Where is everyone?”

“Uh...you missed the disaster that was breakfast, didn’t you?” he asks.

“...oh god, what happened?” I ask him.

“Uh...well...Nancy started yelling at Jamie for something. And then Cassidy got involved and she made things worse. Jess started crying at some point I think? So Harold started yelling at that made Sasha get upset and that made Jamie angerier and uh...yeah, I don’t think anyone is on talking terms,” he explains.

“Jesus Christ...” I murmur softly. “And all that happened while I was asleep?”

Rick nods silently, popping an apple slice into his mouth. “You can go try to find someone. I don’t know where anyone is. I don’t care.”

Rick looked really upset about this whole thing. But I decide the best thing to do was just to leave him he. I walk off to go find someone and see if I can get any more answers.

I was heading up to the newest floor in order to look up there. I expected to find Cassidy or maybe Patrick up there. What I found was a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs and a messy trail going up.

I stare at the blood for a moment in shock. I felt stunned. What was this? Did someone get hurt? Were they in trouble? My legs moved on their own as I ran up the stairs.

The trail led itself to the music room. It went up to the stage and stopped at the piano. The back of it was closed. I slowly begin walking over to it and climb onto the stage.

I stop in front of the piano, silent. Whatever was inside would change everything. I could walk away now and leave it be. Maybe try to stop the others from finding it.

I put my hands onto the kid of the piano. I couldn’t walk away from this. There was no point. I take a deep breath and lift up the piano.

Jamie’s body was stuffed inside messily, managed from the way it was shoved in. Blood dibbled out of his nose and the back of his head, making a messy pool at the bottom of the piano. His jaw was slack and he stared up at me with empty eyes.

I let out a loud scream and drop the piano lid, quickly stumbling away from there piano and nearly falling off the stage.

The door opened and closed and several hurried footsteps rush over to me. Someone grabbed my shoulders but I didn’t notice who it was. The piano kid opened again and someone yelled. The body discovery announcement plays.

That was it then. The proof we all needed, even if the evidence was obvious. Jamie Dawson, the SHSL Author, was dead.

**Killing School Life - Chapter 4: Betrayal Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold**

I still wasn’t sure who was around or what was going on. Everything just felt like a blur to me. I just couldn’t think about anything right now. Everything was a messy blue in my head and—!

Someone slaps me across the face, dragging me back to reality. I look up at who did it. “...P...Patrick..?” I ask softly.

He was standing over me, a bored look on his face. “Cassidy told me to deal with you. You’re dealt with. Get up.”

I blink a couple times. My face still stung from the slap. “But—“

“Get up!” Patrick snaps suddenly. I stood up in an instant. “Start investigating,” he snaps. Then he walks off.

As weird and harsh as that was, it seemed to work. I go over to the piano. Cassidy and Jess were both here. Cassidy was looking at the body while Jess kept her eyes downcast.

I peek into the piano. Jamie was still there, totally untouched. The back of his head was totally caked in blood. His nose was bleeding and looked broken. His jaw was slack, but with closer inspection, it looked broken. His glasses also seemed to be missing.

The body smelled strongly of blood and it made me sick. I move away from the piano and get off the stage. Other than the trail of blood going up to the piano, there didn’t seem to be anything left in here. I walk out of the room.

The hallway leading to the stairs seems empty. Jamie’s glasses were sitting near the top of the steps, though. They looked fine. Not bloody or broken or anything.

The bottom of the staircase held no clues other than the puddle of blood and he trail leading upstairs.

Downstairs in the kitchen, it looked like there was some blood in the sink. A dish rag was missing and a bit of blood was on the floor going out the door. The knife Rick had been using had been back and still wet.

There was some stuff in the infirmary that caught my attention. There was a note left crumpled up on the floor written in very neat penmanship. The note read: _I know what you are. Come talk to me on the new floor. You have an hour before I tell everyone._

This looked like a threat. But what did that mean? He knew who was what? It didn’t make much sense right now. It was really vague.

Other than the note, there was a bloody rag in the room. Some gauze and a bottle of medication was missing, too. And there was also an ice pack that seemed to have half melted sitting near where the note had been dropped.

When I entered the bathhouse, I notice that some of the lockers looked dented. It was like someone beat them in. There was also a sandal laying on the floor nearby the lockers.

The trial announcement plays as I left the room. I guess it was time to get this over with. I head to the elevator.

The elevator rumbles before making its way downward. Everyone was silent as it moved. Someone amongst us was a traitor working for Monokuma. There was no telling if they were the killer, too. Whatever the answer was, we’d all have to work together to find out. That was the only way to survive.

The elevator stops and the doors open. This was it, then. It was time for the fourth class trial to begin!


	27. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone steps out and heads to their own podiums. Rita, Tyler, and Jamie all had portraits in their podiums now. Tyler’s face was crosses out with vines and Rita’s was crossed off with nails instead of a normal X.

I sigh softly and look at everyone. “Alright, let’s just get this over with...” The others nod in agreement.

“Let’s start where we usually do—with the body,” Harold says.

“His body was...horrifically mangled,” Jess says. “There’s just no way around that...”

“It was most likely caused by the way the body was hidden,” Cassidy adds. “Hiding him in such a small space such as the piano would cause significant damage to the body.”

“Then he was killed by being stuffed into the damn thing,” Nancy declares loudly.

“But that wasn’t the only damage,” I cut in. “More was done to him. There were several wounds to his head.”

“There was the broken nose and jaw,” Patrick says. “And he massive head wound. That would probably be important.”

“That...was probably the cause of death...” Rick says softly. He had his hood up over his head and the strings frame to pull he hood over his eyes. I couldn’t see them but I’m sure they were red and puffy from crying. Rick and Jamie had been friends, after all.

“The massive pool of blood and trail up to the piano would agree,” Patrick continues. “Although, why the killer would leave so much evidence is lost on me...”

“I’d say out of panic,” Harold responds. “The killer probably wasn’t sure what to do. Perhaps that can explain the odd and poorly thought out hiding place for the body.”

“Killing someone on accident ain’t exactly something that just happens,” Nancy responds. “I mean, especially when a fucking weapon is used!”

“A weapon?” I ask. “Nancy, what are you talking about?”

“Uh, duh! The knife in the kitchen obviously!” she demands loudly. “We’ve got a weapon! So I say this wasn’t any accident!”

“Nancy, there wasn’t even any stabwounds on the body,” Cassidy says.

Nancy pauses for a second and was silent. “...I-I knew that!” she yells out loudly.

“Then what was all that in the kitchen?” Jess asks. “If someone wasn’t stabbed, what was going on? I saw blood and...and that knife...”

“Oh uh...that was me,” Rick says shyly. “I cut my hand open while getting myself some apple slices.i rushed out to go patch it up in the nurse’s office. When I got back, I rinsed the knife off in the sink.”

“So the knife has nothing to do with the murder,” I say.

“Not necessarily,” Cassidy responds. “As we all hopefully know, there was a note in the nurse’s office. Someone was summoned to the top floor by someone else. Which means people who went there are suspect to involvement in some degree.”

Sasha taps gently on her podium and I look at her. I hadn’t seen her since the body was discovered. Her eyes were red and still leaked the occasional tear that she wiped away. Her hair was a bit messy and her clothes looked disheveled. 

_Jamie and I went into the nurse’s office to get myself some sleeping medication. I haven’t been sleeping well. I asked him to accompany me,_ she writes down.

“That puts three people in the room today,” Harold says. “Is that everyone?”

No one else says anything. “So it was only those three,” Patrick says casually. “Interesting...”

I frown a tiny bit. That couldn’t be right, could it? Someone else must have been in the room. I just needed to take the time to think about it.

_What proves someone else had been in that room?_

The half-melted ice pack.

_Why would someone need that?_

Because they hurt themselves. Maybe bruising...

_How would they do that to themselves?_

By punching in this bathhouse locker doors.

_Who can we prove was inside the bathhouse?_

We can prove that it was Nancy.

My eyes light up. “I have an answer!” I yell out.

“No one asked a question,” Patrick points out.

“Huh? I know that!” I demand. “But that’s not important! Someone else went into the nurse’s office at some point. It was Nancy!”

Nancy frowns a little bit. “What the hell are you babbling on about?!”

“You were in the bathhouse, weren’t you?” I ask her. “I saw your sandal there. You hurt your hand punching in those lockers!”

Nancy frowns a bit. “Well...y-yeah. Fine. I went into the damn nurse’s office for a bit to mess with my hands. And I left when they felt better.”

“So why lie about it?” Patrick asks her.

Nancy frowns a bit and looks away, putting her hands on her hips. “I didn’t want you dumb jerks pointing your fingers at me just because I needed to go do stuff!”

“So we know Jamie, Sasha, Rick, and Nancy were all there today,” Cassidy says. “Any of them could have been the target of the note.”

“Well, whoever read the note is the one who met Jamie,” Rick says softly. “It was his handwriting. He must have left it when he went in with Sasha.”

There’s loud knocking from Sasha and we all look over. She holds up her drawing pad. “ _I know who did it _,” it read. “ _It was the traitor. We have to find the traitor. _”____

____“The traitor could be any of us,” Harold says. “We have no proof no one else went into the nurse’s station at any point.”_ _ _ _

____“Then we need to think about everything we know about all of us to decide who it could be,” I say. “If Monokuma decides to out them, they must have slipped up at some point. We just need to figure it out.”_ _ _ _

____“...I...I know the answer...” Jess says softly after a moment._ _ _ _

____Everyone looks at her. “What? How?” I ask._ _ _ _

____“Because I’ve been working with him his whole time,” she says. “The traitor...is Patrick!”_ _ _ _


	28. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Killing Life Trial Part II

Everyone was in silent shock. Jess looked nervous after not getting any reaction from anyone. At least, not until Patrick spoke up.

“Jessica, I’m honestly appalled with you,” he said. His voice dripped like venom. “Spreading falsehoods about me. I always feared you might be a wicked witch like that..”

Her eyes widen. “What..? But...But that’s not true! It has to be you, I know it!”

“Oh? Then please, present your evidence for everyone to see!” he demands. “You have something, don’t you?”

Jess stiffens a little. A bit of sweat trickled down her forehead. “Well...Well of course I do! But...But I can’t...”

“Can’t what?” Patrick presses on. “Can’t show it? Can’t prove I’m the traitor? Why? This is a class trial, all information is free game! Or are you lying to everyone here?”

“Patrick, maybe you should just give her a moment,” I say. “You’re freaking her out.”

“I propose Jessica is our true culprit,” Patrick says despite my plea. “And she’s trying to shift the blame onto me for her own self preservation.”

“What?!” Jess demands. “Don’t be ridiculous! That’s not true at all!”

“You should keep your damn mouth shut,” Harold hisses at Patrick. “I don’t want to hear another idiotic lie from you.”

“Afraid to lose someone again?” Patrick asks him. “First your dear brother is a rotten killer and then the one trying to fill that void turns out to have betrayed us all!”

“Shut your mouth!” Harold yells angrily. “Just shut up!”

“Perhaps you’re in on it,” he says. “You do have that little...project of yours that Jessica was oh so kind as to show me.”

Harold’s face drops. “...excuse me..?”

“Oh, you heard me,” Patrick says. “Or should I spell it it for everyone here?”

“Project?” Rick asks. “Harold, what’s he talking about?”

Harold ignores him and instead focuses on Jess. “What is he talking about? How does he know about that?!”

Jess looks away. “He...He followed me during the night. He knew I was up to something and I couldn’t think of any excuses! But that’s how I know he’s the traitor! Because I know he couldn’t have seen me without leaving his room! And we would have seen him following us around!”

“Hey, I think you should answer the tall one’s question,” Nancy cuts in. “What project are you guys talking about? What the hell is going on here?!”

“I think it was you who specifically asked me to come see it,” Patrick says to Jess. “At least, that’s how my memory serves.”

“Patrick, we’ve been working together since the beginning!” Jess demands. “You and me promised to help each other! That we could trust each other!”

“And that’s why it comes as a shock to me that you would be the traitor,” Patrick says. “Maybe your motive has something to do with your mother...”

Jess’s entire face darkens. “You...You wouldn’t dare...”

“Maybe I would,” Patrick says. “Depends if you’re willing to give up the act.”

Jess being the traitor. Is that really the truth? I don’t want to believe someone as caring and gentle as Jess could be working with something like Monokuma. At the same time, the trials kept showing that even the nicest people aren’t immune to the pressure of this hellhole.

“Admit to your crimes and I might be merciful,” Patrick says.

“I...I have dirt on you, too!” Jess demands.

“But is your kind, caring nature going to let you reveal it out of spite?” he retorts.

Jess goes silent, simply shivering at her stand now.

“Patrick!” I say. “I’m not going to let you do this anymore!”

Patrick looks at me, a pretty bored Look crossing his face. “Huh? What are you going on about now? Is this going to be some dumb motivational speech about working together or some crap?”

“No, this is going to be where I reveal you as the traitor planted by Monokuma!” I shout.

A slight smirks crosses his face. “Is that so? Well, ths is going to be good.” He goes back to frowning. “But if you think I’ll just lie down and take it...then you’re dead wrong, bastard!”

I frown softly. I won’t stop at anything to reveal the truth about Patrick to everyone. Nothing was going to get in my way!

”How can you truly prove I’m the traitor?”

”In a he said, she said situation, who can you truly trust?”

”You have no way to prove or disprove either of us, do you?”

“I can prove who’s lying right here!” I shout out. “Because I know something no one else does?”

”What can you possibly know anything we don’t?”

”Unless you were there to watch us that night.”

”Nothing you’ve seen changes anything here!”

This was it! The moment of truth! “It’s time to cut through those words!” I cry out.

Patrick frowns softly. “What? Are you about to admit you stalked Jessica and me that night? That won’t look good for your own legitimacy.”

“No, I didn’t,” I admit. “But I did see something the night before the motive.”

Patrick looked a little...nervous. I definitely had his attention at least. “And what exactly did you see?”

“I saw you walking into your room holding Monokuma and petting him,” I exclaim. “So explain that one, Patrick!”

He cracks a wide, sly grin. “Oh, is that all you got? What makes your word so trustworthy that—“

“I saw it, too,” Rick cuts in. “It was the night before Tate had died. I saw Patrick talking to that dumb stuffed animal and walking away from Rita’s room.”

“Hey, be kind to your elders!” Monokuma demands. “Especially when they have sharp claws.”

“So what do you have to say in your defense, Patrick?” I ask. “Anything at all?”

Patrick was totally silent, his bangs over his eyes with his head dipped downward gently. And then he starts to...laugh. A large grin shouts across his face as he delves into mad laughter.

“Wh-What the fuck is wrong with this freak..?” Nancy asks nervously.

“You dumb motherfucks!” Patrick demands. “It took you this goddamn long to figure anything out! Hell, even the stupid bear calling me out wasn’t enough for any of you! That moron Jamie couldn’t even get it right!”

“ _It’s him!_ ” Sasha scribbles down frantically. “ _He’s the traitor and he killed Jamie! He must have gone into the nurse’s office and lied about it! It has to be him! So let’s vote!_ ”

I’ve never seen Sasha write anything like that before. It was uncharacteristic of her.

“What did you do while working for the bear?” Cassidy asks. “I’m interested to know.”

“Oh, nothing too tiring,” Patrick says. “I had a nice little chat with Francine that pushed her to kill. Then I gained the trust of Jessica to use her as I saw fit, although she wasn’t too horribly useful for a while. I mixed poison into that pancake mix. Then there was the cute little note I wrote for Rita about how she’ll never have anything she wants as long as she was stuck in this hell. There’s also Harold’s little project...but I suppose I wasn’t the traitor anymore when I got to that. Monokuma fired me.”

“And why did he do something like that?” Harold asks coldly.

Patrick smiles. “Oh, I betrayed him. Almost got some very useful intel out of him. But...I suppose the bear was too smart and shut me down. I wasn’t allowed to work for him and the new motive begun.”

“I...I don’t understand why you would do this...” Jess says weakly. “Why work for him..?”

“Well how else do you want me to get information?” Patrick asks. “I played along with his game to get information out of him. But he was smarter than I anticipated...”

“Love ya, too~!” Monokuma cheers out from his throne.

“...also, he was incredibly soft,” Patrick says, murmuring that part gently.

“This sick freak is the killer!” Nancy demands. “He’s the traitor! So that’s gotta be the answer!”

“I say we vote him up now and end this,” Harold declares coldly.

“Oh, you’ll certainly end this,” Patrick says. “But do you want the blood of seven innocents on your hands, including your own? I highly doubt that.”

“Are you implying you have nothing to do with this case?” Cassidy asks.

“Precisely,” he responds. “I’m fully innocent. This trial is for finding the killer, but not necessarily the traitor. Voting for me will result in everyone’s death.”

“How can we trust this?” Rick asks. “He’s been lying to us this entire time...”

“Nothing proves he was in the room,” I say. “No unaccounted supplies or evidence showing he needed to go there. It’s possible Jamie thought someone else was the real traitor.”

“Doesn’t that narrow our list back down to Sasha, Rick, and Nancy?” Jess asks softly.

I nod. “Yeah, it does.”

“What the hell?!” Nancy demands. “We find out Patrick was a piece of shit this entire time and he just gets to walk away?”

“If he’s not the killer, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing for the time being,” Cassidy says.

“So the dude gets to mess with us for the entire time but we can’t even prove he went and decided to punch Jamie clean in the face and send him down the damn steps?” Nancy demands. “That’s fucking bullshut!”

I frown a tiny bit. “Wait...Nancy, what did you just say?”

She looks at me. “Huh? I said that’s fucking bullshit!”

I shake my head. “No, before that.”

“...uh...I did we can’t even prove and went and decided to punch Jamie clean in the face and send him down the damn steps,” she repeats.

“That’s what I thought you said...” I say softly. I didn’t want to say it. I didn’t want to believe it at all. But...the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

“Nancy...why did you do it..?” I ask.


	29. Chapter 4: Betrayl Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Killing Life Trial Part III

Nancy looks at me and frowns. “What the hell did you just say?”

“You killed Jamie,” I say. “It has to be you!”

“That...That's fucking crazy!” Nancy demands. “What about Sasha or Rick, huh?! They were there, too!”

“Sasha went into the room with Jamie,” Cassidy cuts in. “If the note was truly for her, Jamie could have given it to her at any moment.”

“But I didn’t even see them when I entered!” Nancy yells. “So the note wasn’t for me!”

“...wait, was it for me..?” Rick asks. “He left that note for me?!”

Sasha frowns a tiny bit at her stand but she didn’t seem to have anything to say to Rick.

“Nancy, just a moment ago, you said something you shouldn’t have,” I say.

“And what the fuck would that be?! Huh?! What did I say?!” she yells.

“You said Jamie had been punched and fell down the stairs. But we never decided what had happened to Jamie!” I exclaim. “So how can you know he was punched when we never decided that?”

Nancy says nothing. She was clearly pissed off.

“Nancy, just admit it and we can—“

“Admit it?” she asks, cutting me off. “Admit what? That I’m just another goddamn murderer? Admit I have blood in my hands? Admit that I deserve to die..?”

I shake my head. “No, Nancy, that’s now at all what I mean.”

Nancy looks up at all of us. A bright fury of determination burned in her eyes. “Well...I’m not going to give up! That’s not who I am! I’m Nosebleed Nancy and I’ll beat you down until you can’t get up and than I’ll keep beating you until nothing’s left! I don’t give up for anything and there’s no stopping me! GET READY FOR A MASSIVE BEATDOWN!”

Nancy looked totally fired up. I knew she wasn’t going to let this end without a fight. But I had to be ready to fight back and shoot her down. I had to do this for everyone’s safety!

“You’re the one here—“

_”I’ll pummel you to dust!”_

“—who would punch—“

_”I’ll knock your teeth out!”_

“—someone else when—“

_”Can it, worm!”_

“—you get angry enough!”

“What the hell is that supposed to prove, huh?! How does that prove it was me?!” Nancy screams. “You can’t even prove I was in the one that saw the note!”

That was exactly what I needed her to say. This was the end! “No, you’re wrong!” I yell out.

Nancy stiffens up. “What..?” she asks weakly.

“You left the ice pack you grabbed for your hand near the crumbled up note,” I say. “I don’t think it’s coincidence that the ice pack you needed was left next to where that note we dropped!”

Nancy smiles nervously. “That...That evidence...is so weak, y’know? I...I don’t even want to listen to this crap!”

“Then you’ll listen to this!” I demand. “We’ll wrap up this whole thing to prove that you’re the true killer!”

“This entire thing starts with Jamie deciding he knew who the traitor was. He wrote a note which he planned on leaving near them when he got the chance. He might have done it during breakfast if the shutting hadn’t gotten in the way and everyone stormed off. Rick had gone to the nurse’s office some time after this because he cut himself making some food. Sasha went into the room to get some sleeping medication with Jamie and that's when he saw Rick. He left the note in the room, hoping Rick would see it, and left with Sasha. But Rick never saw it. He killer, who had been trying to relax in the bath house and hue their hand punching in the lockers, entered which Rick was still there so they could get an ice pack for their hand. They saw the note and got angry, assuming it was for them. They crumpled it up and left without the ice pack. Dropping the note on the floor kept Rick from seeing it, leaving him unaware. The killer confronted Jamie on the stairs and the two of them get into an argument. The killer would inevitably punch Jamie in a rage. This breaks his jaw and knocks off his glasses and send shim tumbling down the stairs. He broke his nose and bust his head open. He probably died on impact. The killer probably panicked, it was an accident, something that happened in some rage. They dragged him upstairs and tried to hide him in the piano. But the blood trail left behind led me straight to him. All the killer could do was pretty to be innocent,” I explain. “Isn’t that right, Nancy?!”

Nancy was totally silent for once. She didn’t look angry anymore. She just looked defeated. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this...”

“You did it on accident, right?” I ask. “That’s why everything seemed so rushed and messy. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“That prick kept getting in my face and yelling at me,” she says. “I warned him to back off and he didn’t listen to me!”

“So you punched him and he fell down the stairs,” Cassidy says. “And then you attempted to let Patrick take the fall.”

“I...I didn’t want to die for this...” Nancy says weakly. “And that piece of shit has been working against us the whole time! So...I figured that no one would notice if he was blamed...”

“You could have killed us all with a stunt like that!” Harold demands.

“Well what would you have done, huh?!” Nancy screams. “You can get off that fucking peristalsis you love so much because you woulda done the same damn thing!”

“I’m getting bored with this!” Patrick whines. “Let’s move on to the voting.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear!” Monokuma cheers out. “It’s voting time! Who's the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?”

Everybody puts in their vote for Nancy. Some voted faster than others.

“That’s correct!” Monokuma cheers. “Nancy Clark, the SHSL Boxer, is the killer!”

Patrick smirks, resting his hands on his waist. “As we suspected.”

“You don’t have to look so damn smug about you, bastard...” Nancy growls.

“Nancy, why didn’t you just try talking it out?” Jess asks her.

“Talking is for wusses that don’t know how to use their fists!” Nancy demands. “Talking doesn’t get you anywhere! It’s taking action that gets shit done!”

“ _Talking action got someone killed_ ,” Sasha writes. “ _What does that prove to you?_ ”

Nancy didn’t have anything to say to that. “Alright Monokuma, I’m ready for this shit,” she says. “But don’t think I won’t go down without a fight! Nosebleed Nancy gives it her all 100% of the time!”

Monokuma giggles softly. “Glad you’re all pumped up! Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIME!” He pulls out his mallet and slams it down on the button.

The chain flies out of the door and clamps down on Nancy’s neck. She gets dragged away. A video begins playing for us all.

**Nancy Clark has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Nancy stood in a boxing ring. Lights were trained on the ring. An unseen crowd was booing at her and flashes of light appeared as cameras flash but she ignores it. She had on two normal, old looking boxing gloves. She had an intense, stony look on her face.

Monokuma stood on the other end of the ring. He had gloves on too, made out of cold iron. They looked heavy but he was able to lift them up like they were nothing. He bangs them together, the metal clashing and dinging out. The match has begun.

**With an Iron Fist**

They charge at each other. Nancy was faster and she lands the first hit, striking him in the nose and forcing Monokuma onto his back. The crowd boos and hiss at her. It was loud and seemed to echo.

She tries ignoring it, but it was starting to get to her. Monokuma leaps back into his feet. She rushes forward again and strikes him with an uppercut. He flies back and lands with a little thump. He got up and made another charge at her.

Nancy smirks, looking confident. Nancy pulls back her arm and slams her fist right into his chin. He goes flying up into the air and then falls all the way down, slamming hard into the ground with a heavy thud.

Nancy smirks and turns away, heading to the ropes to get off the stage and leave. The crowd was screaming out their rage at her, but she didn’t care. She beat that bear down and won!

He gets back to his feet slowly, looking bruised, and leaps with a powerful punch. Nancy turns back and sees him. She moved to the left, missing a right hook, but she didn’t avoid the sudden counter from his left hook. He hits her hard in the chest with the metal gloves.

Nancy’s eyes widen and there’s loud cracking and snapping sounds as he punches with amazing strength. Her rib cage is shattered in her chest. She collapsed and Monokuma places his foot on her stomach, raising a gloved hand high above his head.

She gasps and chokes. She spits up some blood. It trickles down her face and gives off a low groan before her head falls limply to the side. The crowd cheers. Her vision fades away with camera flashes engulfing it.

I looked away as the executor finally ended. That had been truly awful.

There’s a ding and everyone looks over. Patrick had gotten into the elevator just as the execution had ended. He smiles and waves as the door shuts and it takes him up alone.

“I guess we’ll have to deal with him tomorrow,” Cassidy says plainly.

“Deal with him?” Rick asks. “What are we supposed to do?”

“ _I don’t care_ ,” Sasha writes. “ _I just want to go to my room and be alone._ ”

I think Sasha said what we all wanted. Once the elevator returned again, we got back in and it took us to the top again. We all made our way back to our room.

I watch as Jess tries to go over to Harold on the way back. But he just glared at her coldly and stormed off. I could see the way it hurt Jess as she left, too.

I get to my room and lay down with a deep sigh. That entire thing had been far too emotionally draining. It left me exhausted and I found myself asleep in seconds. I didn’t even know what tomorrow would bring.

**Chapter 4: Betrayal Comes Before a Dish Best Served Cold - Completed!**

Wayne, ~~Betty~~ , Patrick, Sasha, ~~Nancy~~ , ~~Ike~~ , Harold, ~~Perry~~ , ~~Francine~~ , ~~Jamie~~ , Cassidy, Jessica, ~~Tyler~~ , ~~Rita~~ , Rick, ~~Tate~~


	30. Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again - Daily Life Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

**Daily School Life - Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again**

I wake up in the morning feeling tired again. This place was constantly draining of all my energy. I pull myself out of bed and shuffle off. I get ready for the day and head out to eat breakfast, grabbing my sword along the way.

I was met with angry yelling as I entered the cafeteria. Patrick was sitting at the table, calmly eating a frozen waffle for breakfast. Everyone was around him, shouting their complaints. Cassidy was with them, but she said nothing. I think she just wanted to hear the answers.

“I already answered anything of important during the trial,” Patrick tells them calmly once he had finished his food. I could hear the rage bubbling just behind that calm facade, however.

“So you just did all of that for yourself? Just to try to get some answers you could use?” Rick asks.

“Why else would I waste my time?” Patrick says. “Now if you’re all done pestering me, I’d like to get something to wash done my breakfast with.” He stands up and shoves his way out of the group.

Jess stops him with a hug from behind. Patrick seems taken back by the sudden gesture. “Jessica, what are you—“

“Patrick, please don’t be like this,” she says despite whatever he might have been about to say. “We were friends. I know...I know you can’t connect with people like that, but you knew how to act like it!”

“...You’re right,” he says. “I can’t connect with people like that. So don’t say things like we’re friends when you know we aren’t.” He gently moves her arms off of him and returns to what he was doing.

Jess stood there awkwardly, frowning softly. Then she walks over to the main table and sinks down into a seat. She was quiet and sullen. Harold sits next to her.

Rick soon sits down as well with Sasha staying next to him. She had herself latched into one of his arms, hugging it to herself for security. I decided to sit next to Cassidy. I wasn’t feeling very hungry after all.

Patrick returns with a soda and sits down away from everyone at the other end of the table. The only sound in the room was of him drinking.

“...we can’t sit here like this,” I finally say. “We’re not going to get anywhere if we just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves and waiting for the next person to die.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Cassidy says.

“...maybe we can try building up trust with each other,” Jess suggests. “No more secrets. Right here, right now, I say we just spill anything we might be keeping from one another.”

No one says anything to it. It wasn’t that anyone didn’t agree, they just didn’t want to be the first.

“...fine. I see I’ll have to be the first to go,” Jess says. “My secret is...it’s...um...”

Jess suddenly seemed really unsure about this. I don’t think he wanted to actually share it. “...my...my mother...she...”

“...Jessica,” Patrick says. “I can say it if you want. You took five minutes to tell me.”

Jess flushes a bit in embarrassment. “No, I have to say it myself. I just...have to say it...”

Patrick shrugs and sits back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“My...My mother...she...she does things...bad things. She Um...she gets angry. A lot...and then she...she beats me. And my father. She beats us both.”

Everyone was totally silent, but the looks in everyone’s faces spoke more than words could. Even Cassidy’s frown deepened and her brow furrowed. Everyone else had mixed looks of shock or anger or disgust.

“That’s why I’m a babysitter,” she says. “Because of my mother. She made me get a job to pay for things she wants. And then she forced me to go to Hope’s Peak.”

“You didn’t want to come to the school?” I ask her.

She shakes her head quickly. “Oh no, I did! But my mother also did. And she commanded it. I left my father there alone with her. I promised him I would be home and write to him and everything. But now that things have turned out this way...I’m worried...”

“I’m a sociopath,” Patrick says from his end if the table. “I don’t feel empathy or sympathy or anything like that.”

“Yeah, I think we could guess that...” Harold grumbles.

Patrick shrugs. “It’s the truth. Personality disorder stuff.”

“ _Sometimes when I get writers block, I steal ideas from other people_ ,” Sasha writes. “ _I just panic and end up ripping off other artists for ideas._ ”

“Looks like not everyone is a pure as they seem,” Patrick says. Sasha glares at him.

“People die around me,” Rick blurts out suddenly. “Friends, family, total strangers. It doesn’t matter, people die because of me and my fucking luck. It’s been me and my parents for years because of this and they suffocate me at home with their rules and their precautions and their worries.”

Everyone looked at Rick as he said that. Sasha’s face turns to one of concern. She gently pats her arm and he pulls it away, suddenly very quiet. He pulled up his hood and pulled it closed over his face. “I shouldn't have said all that...”

I frown a tiny bit. Was it possible Rick was blaming himself for Jamie?

“I’ve...I’ve tried to kill myself for it,” Rick murmurs softly. “Several times. And I kept failing and...and I gave up...”

Sasha’s concern goes to full on worry. She hugs Rick and refuses to let go when he tries to push her away.

Harold gently drums his fingers on the table. “My secret is good news, actually. Everyone come with me.” He stands up and walks off. Sasha and I get Rick up and have him go with the rest of the group. Harold leads us up to the second floor bathroom and into the secret room in the back.

Harold opens the laptop and turns it on. It blinks and smiles. “Ah, Young Harold, you’ve returned! Oh...and you brought all your friends!” The AI looks at Cassidy and smiles. “Hello, Cassidy!”

Harold frowns and looks back at her. “Did you already come talk to him?”

“A few days ago, yes,” Cassidy says nonchalantly.

Harold frowns angrily. Rick and Sasha move forward to look at the laptop better. “What is this thing..?” Rick murmurs.

“It’s an AI I found the code for. I did a bit of tampering so it would fit with the people in our game,” Harold says.

“...all people?” Rick asks softly.

Harold sighs a bit and types something into the laptop.

“Oh, of course!” The AI says. Perry’s face disappears and is soon replaced with Jamie’s.

“It’s not really him, but it’s a good fake,” Harold says.

Rick looked like he was going to start crying, but didn’t seem to have anything to say. Sasha held onto his hand gently.

Harold looks at Cassidy. “So, when are you going to speak?”

“I have nothing to say,” she remarks.

“If memory serves, you’re still hiding something from us,” Patrick mentions.

Oh, that’s right. Cassidy never told us what her talent was. I look at her but say nothing.

“I never agreed to share any of my personal information,” she says. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” She walks out of the room without another word to anyone.

“I still don’t think we can trust her,” Harold says.

After a bit, we all left the room. I leave to check out the new floor we should have gotten. The events of the morning had distracted me up until now.

Just as I suspected, the fifth floor was unlocked and I go upstairs to check it out. The first thing here were three classrooms. Two of them were normal. But the third one was not. The minute I walked in, I’m blasted with the stench of blood and death. I look around the room. It was completely bathed in dried blood. There were chalk outlines on the ground. Several people had died in here. I leave the room quickly, no longer able to stand the smell.

To the left were two rooms. On the right of the two, a massive garden. A large, intimidating plant stood in the center of the room. There was also a shack filled with tools and some chickens. Rita probably would have spent all her time in a room like this. Even that massive plant would have been under her constant care.

The other room, on the left, was a dojo. It had beautiful cherry blossom trees here and targets at the end of the room. There were also some lockers here with arrows in them for archery practice. “Ike would have liked this room...” I mumble softly.

In the very back of the hall, farther down from the classrooms, was the biology lab. The room was freezing cold and there were several cabinets here that I couldn’t get into and some that I could. The place made me think of a morgue. There wasn’t much else up here, so I go off to hang out with someone.

I nearly run into Jess in the hall on the first floor. She had some supplies in her arms. It looked like fabric from the supply closet. Why did she have all that stuff?

“Wayne! Oh, I’m so sorry!” Jess says quickly. “I didn’t even see you there!”

I smile softly. “Hey, it’s alright, Jess. Don’t worry about it. So what are you even up to right now?”

“Hm? Oh! Patrick wanted me to bring him some stuff for this cosplay he’s working on,” she says. “I figured I’d help out.”

“Even after all the stuff he did to us? Being the traitor, using our trust, blaming you in the trial,” I say.

Jess’s smile falters. “Yes, well...I don’t think I want to give up on him just yet. He has the potential to be a good person, someone just needs to be there to guide him. I know it.”

“You don’t give up on people easily, do you?” I ask.

Jess smiles and shakes her head. “I know what a lost cause looks like and Patrick isn’t one. Not yet!”

“How about I come help you do stuff for him?” I ask. “It’ll make things easier on you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you,” Jess says. “But...If you’re willing...”

I smile softly and walk off with Jess. I spend time helping Jess with her workload. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Me and Jess went to the cafeteria after we finished helping of Patrick. She makes some tea and gives me a cup. “Thank you for helping me out there. It was really helpful.”

I smile and take the cup, sipping it. The tea was sweet and calming. “It’s no problem at all, Jess.”

“I usually don’t get help with stuff like that,” she says. “I’m accustomed to getting the job done myself. I think that’s why I chose babysitting.”

“Because you have to do it on your own?” I ask her.

“Because it’s something I have to do on my own,” she clarifies. “There’s a gratification to getting to make a positive impression on a child’s life entirely on your own.”

“I guess I can understand that,” I agree. I did always wonder if any aspiring fencers looked up to me at all. I didn’t really have a fan base despite how good I might be at it. At least, I wasn’t aware of one.

“I just want to make a positive impact on people. Knowing I made someone’s day is all I need to know that I’ve done a good job,” she says. “I know it sounds cheesy, but that’s just how I feel.”

I smile softly and finish my tea. “I’m glad you feel that way, Jess. That’s really kind of you.”

Jess took my cup to wash it and I left to do spend time with someone else after she instituted that she could handle things on her own.

I find Rick in the art room. He was doodling right now on a piece of paper. I walk over and look at what he was drawing. It was a church. The building was completely engulfed in flames.

I frown a little. “Rick, why did you draw that?” I ask him.

He looks at me then down at the picture. “I like drawing about my past,” he says as he continues to color in the flames with bright orange and yellow. “You want to draw with me?”

I nod a bit and sit down. I felt like I should be worried about him after what happened this morning, br I said nothing. I spend time drawing with Rick. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I look at his drawing. He had moved on to something else. He was being hit by a speeding car in the street. I look at him. He seemed entirely unfazed.

“So this kind of stuffs is normal for you?” I ask him.

He looks at me then back to his picture. He nods. “Yeah. Comes with the bad luck. This guy had tried to kill me. Put me in a coma for a while.”

The guy tried to KILL him?! What the hell?! He spoke about it so calmly. Like it didn’t mean anything to him that this happened. And this was normal for him.

“You start getting used to it,” he says. “When you have a life full of pain, death, destruction...loneliness...you just start to become numb to it. It becomes easier to accept. To deal with. When you accept it as part of your life, that's all it feels like. Just another day to day thing.”

“Is it always this bad?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “No, not usually. I get breaks and pauses in all the bad. But it still happens and I’ve accepted it.”

I felt bad for Rick. He had to deal with this kind of thing all the time and it was considered a talent by the school? This sounded more like eternal torture. Rick was a lot stronger than I thought he was.

He sets his pencil down and grabs his drawings. “I’m going to go show these to Sasha. She’s been encouraging me to draw more.” He walks out of the room.

That poor kid...now I was positive he blamed himself for Jamie’s death if that kind of stuff is normal for him. I leave the room too to find someone else. Hopefully to get my mood back up.

I run into Cassidy attempting to enter the Headmaster’s Office. She was having no luck in doing so though. She sighs and gives up, turning and nearly crashing into me.

She looks at me and frowns, taking a step back. “What is it now? I’m very busy.” She looks back at the door then to me again.

I smile. “How about you take a break? The two of us can hang out for a bit.”

She frowns and clicks her tongue a bit in thought. She nods. “That sounds acceptable.”

We head downstairs. I spend some time with Cassidy in the cafeteria. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Cassidy calmly eats the sandwich I had made for her while we relaxed in the cafeteria. “It’s not bad,” she comments off handedly.

“Oh, thanks,” I say. “...Cassidy, why don’t you want to be honest with anyone?”

She sighs and sets her sandwich down. “Would I be guessing correctly if I assumed you wanted to talk to me specifically for that reason?”

“What? No, that’s not it at all!” I say quickly. “I want to actually hang out with you. But I want to know more about you, too.”

She sighs again and sits back in her seat. “Trust issues are a very complicated subject, Wayne. I’m not going to simply hand over information like that to you just because you asked.”

“Cassidy, we’re friends. I just want to know more about you. I don’t know anything!” I say.

“That’s because you don’t pay attention,” she says. “You need to focus more on others and the little things about them to understand the bigger picture.”

I wouldn’t put it past Cassidy to say something insightful like that, but it sounded like she was scolding me for not paying enough attention to her.

“Is gat something you’re used to doing?” I ask her. “Paying attention to people and making decisions based on that?”

“There you go again with the questions,” she says. “If you’re just going to turn this into a questionnaire, I think I’ll just be on my way.”

“No, Cassidy, wait!” I say quickly. But she had already gotten up and walked off. I sigh softly. She really was determined to keep to herself. I should t be pushing her so hard.

I get up and head to my room. The nighttime announcement plays as I entered and I lay down with a deep sigh. Today has been long and I just needed a chance to rest and absorb everything that’s been going on.

The others revealed their secrets but Cassidy just refuses to budge. Is there a reason she won’t tell us her talent? Or is she just being steadfast and stubborn? I could tell.

I soon fell asleep thinking about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abuse/Abusive mothers  
> Talk of suicide


	31. Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning and get ready for the day. Yesterday was still fresh in my mind. People weren’t being very trusting of Cassidy and I didn’t want to think about what that might mean for her. She could end up in danger. I grab my sword and head off to get myself some breakfast.

Everyone was here except for Harold. Cassidy had made another casserole, which the others seem to have trusted more and started eating. I’m not sure why she made it again, though. Did she hear the others talking poorly about her again?

I sit down to get myself a few spoonfuls and veins eating it. I gaze around the table to confirm my suspicions. “Where’s Harold?” I ask after eating a few forkfuls of the casserole.

“I think he wanted to go do something with that laptop,” Patrick says calmly while eating his food. “But I don’t think anyone bothered to ask.”

“We didn’t ask because he didn’t want to say,” Jess clarifies. “And I requested that no one bother him. He might still be using it to cope.”

I sigh and get up. “Well I’m at least going to bring him some breakfast.” I serve a plate for him and leave.

I enter the secret room to see the laptop on and functioning. Harold was fiddling with some wires on one side of the room that was connecting to the laptop.

I set the plate down on the table. “Harold, what are you doing?”

He looks up at me as I speak, clearly surprised from my presence. “Wayne, what are you doing here? I didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Sorry, I was just bringing by some breakfast. What are you doing?” I ask.

“I’m connecting Alter Ego to the school’s internet server. He said there’s the possibility of him being able to get important information from it,” he explains.

“Wait, isn’t that dangerous?” I ask. “What the the mastermind finds out about this?”

“Chances are, the mastermind knows he exists,” he explains. “So there’s really no point of trying to hide it. Might as well do whatever we can...”

Harold made a valid point. I think at this point, even if the mastermind didn’t know exactly what was going on, they knew we were hiding something in this room.

“Ah, Wayne!” Alter Ego says, drawing my attention. “I have something very important to show you!”

I walk over to the computer. I type in to ask what it wanted.

“While scavenging this computer for any information, I found something you might want to see. I already showed Young Harold,” it says. Three images are pulled up on the screen. They were photographs.

One picture features Betty, Ike, Nancy, and Tate. They're all dressed in costumes. It looked like they were at some kind of Halloween party. Snacks can be seen in the background with decorations and they were in the gym. All of them had big smiles except for some, who looked mildly amused.

The second picture was Perry painting a picture of a posing Francine. He seemed totally immersed in his work as he painted. It looked like the two were outside, but I could see the front gates of the school in the background.

The final picture was of Jamie in a heated argument with Tyler about something while Rita just giggled to herself in the background. They were all wearing school uniforms in this picture and it looked like it was taken during class because they were inside one of the classrooms.

“Where did hear come from..?” I murmur softly.

“I don’t know,” Harold says. “I know for a fact Perry has never spoken to Francine outside of this situation. And all of those pictures were taken on school property, which just can’t be possible.”

I frown a little as I study he pictures before standing up. “I’ll come back later tonight to check up on things, okay? Maybe show the others this stuff.”

An announcement plays that summons everyone to the gym before Harold could respond. The two of us left.

Everyone gathered in the gym. Having us all back here again really made me realize just how much we’ve diminished.

Monokuma stood on his podium, tapping his foot and his paws on his hips. He looked really annoyed. “I’ve had about enough of you little brats!” he growls.

“We didn’t even do anything yet,” Rick whines.

“You know exactly what you did!” Monokuma demands. “I had this wonderful motive set up with all your secrets and what do you go and do? Well you reveal them all! Now I’m all off schedule and I have to plan a new motive!”

“Oh no, we’re so sorry,” Patrick says in an overly sarcastic voice. “Oh won’t you ever forgive us?”

“You little brats can go and think about what you did while I try to work this mess out. Oh, but that isn’t the only reason I called you all here,” he says.

“What else could you possibly want?” Jess asks.

“One of you little runts stole something extremely important to your headmaster!” Monokuma demands. “And just know there’ll be hell to pay if I find out who has it!”

With that final note, Monokuma lepr behind his podium and was out of sight.

“Patrick, what did you steal from him?” Jess demands as soon as he left.

“Nothing,” Patrick responds. “I wasn’t even aware that thing carried stuff around.”

She sighs softly. “Alright, I believe you.”

“Let’s just go,” Harold says. “This was a waste of time.”

I look at Sasha as everyone left. She didn’t say a single thing the entire time. I hope she was okay. I leave soon after the others, deciding to go hang out with someone.

I find Rick in the infirmary. He was wrapping a bandage around his hand. I walk over. “What happened to you?” I ask him.

He looks up at me then back to his hand. “I burned it making myself some hot chocolate. I’ll be fine.” After he finishes patching up his hand, he begins to treat other injuries he had. I could tell he’d be here for a while.

“You want some help?” I ask him. He smiles and nods. I spend time patching Rick up. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I finish wrapping up his final bruise. He pulls his hoodie back on. He seemed a bit bummed right now. “You feeling okay?” I ask him.

He sighs softly. “I’m just...still feeling guilty.”

Guilty? Why was he..? “Do you still feel responsible for the others dying?” I ask him.

He nods solemnly. “I know it had to be my luck that did it. It’s always my luck. Everyone around me dies. Everyone I care about. This is no different. I’m afraid for the next murder. I don't want to see anyone else die. Not now. I never did.”

I gently put my hand on his arm. “Hey, Rick, it’s okay. Calm down...”

He was starting to cry. “I-I can't do this anymore! I don’t want another trial! I don’t want to see another dead body! I can’t do it! I can’t! I can’t!” He falls against the wall and slides down it until he was sitting on the floor. He pulls his legs close and cries into his knees. I felt my stomach twist. I knew how he felt. I didn’t want to do it again either.

I walk over to Rick and end up giving him a hug. His crying stops for a second. “We’ll get out of here, I promise. No more murder. No more trials. We’ll survive this together. We’ll get out.” 

Rick was silent for a moment before gently hugging me back. I waited a moment before I let go of him.

He dries his eyes and stands up. “You...You’re right...no one else is going to kill. The bear hasn’t even given us a motive. This is it then. We just need to get out.” He heads for the door. “Thanks, Wayne...” He leaves. I felt like I had a better understanding of Rick now.

I had off to find someone else to spend my time with. I find Sasha in the physics lab. She was drawing a comic about an mad scientist it seems. I walk over to her.

She looks over and smiles up at me. “ _Hello, Wayne! Do you want to make a comic with me?_ ” she writes.

I smile a bit. That actually sounded really fun. “Yeah, I’d love to, Sasha!” I spend time making a comic with Sasha. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She puts out comic on the stack of others she has written. “ _My fans would love to see this when we get out of here,_ ” she writes. I smile a bit. At least she was still positive about our escape.

She hands me a paper. I take it and look down. It was a completed picture of everyone, smiling and happy. It wasn’t in her usual style though. She had tried to make it look as realistic as possible. And she did a good job of it.

“ _I spent a long time working on that. I had started on the second day and it was meant to be a surprise. I wanted everyone to see it. But..._ ” Her writing pauses and her smile droops. She was thinking of the others.

I gently put a hand a hand on hers. “Hey, it’s okay, Sasha. I don’t blame you. I don’t think anyone will...”

She sighs softly. I wasn’t sure if what I said was if any comfort to her. “ _I’m sorry it took so long. I get so stressed out sometimes and I totally miss deadlines._ ”

She really did seem truly sorry about this. “Sasha, come on, it’s okay,” I tell her. “Things took such a sharp turn downward. But that’s not yourself. Don’t beat yourself up over focusing on trying to survive.”

Sasha sighs sadly and stares at me for a moment. She takes the picture back and leaves without saying anything, probably to show it to the others.

I felt like Sasha was beating herself up over this just like Rick was. I’d have to talk to her more tomorrow. I leave.

I go into the secret room. Unsurprisingly, Harold was still there with the laptop. I walk over.

“Hey there, Harold. I see you’re enjoying yourself,” I say.

He nods, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Yeah. The AI has been swapping between the others too. I...kind of find myself missing them. I never thought I would, but I do. You...want to hang out with me and see them again?” The way he worded it was a bit weird. I still wasn’t sure if this was healthy for him. 

“Sure, Harold. I’d love to,” I say. I spend time talking to the AI with Harold. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Are you holding up okay, Harold?” I ask. “This must be tough on you, being a kid an all...”

“None of us are even adults,” Harold corrects. “I fail to see how this is easy on any one of us.”

He had a point. I was just a highschooler. I should be worrying more about getting a passing grade on a final, not if I’ll live to see tomorrow every time I go to bed.

“We just have to remember the world is waiting out there for us. And we need to get to it,” I say. “We’ll get out. We have to.”

“Four trials later and you continue to spout that nonsense,” Harold comments. “How long until your will breaks? It honestly shocks me.”

“Is...that suppose to be a good thing?” I ask after a moment.

“I’ll let you interpret it however you want,” he informs me.

“Oh, guys! I got news! I did find something new today,” the laptop says. “It seems...that the one doing this was once a student here like the two of you. I believe they were in the class before yours. But I cannot find much else yet. The systems are really strongly locked down,” it says.

Harold frowns. “The class before ours?” He looks at me. “Do you still have that file?”

I nod and leave the room quickly. I had left it under my pillow and grabbed it quickly.

I return with the file, which had been in my room. I set it down and open it up to the page of students from the class before us. Sixteen students. Harold looks at it too. “Is there any other information you can find?” Harold asks the laptop.

“Hm...yes. I just found something. It seems the student in question is a girl. All other information is locked to a very powerful firewall,” the computer says.

I look down at the file. “That leaves...” I read the names of the female students. “Karen, the SHSL Singer. Diana, the SHSL Psychologist. Olivia, the SHSL Guitarist. Brittney, the SHSL Cheerleader. Tess, the SHSL Reporter. Stacy, the SHSL Baker. And Blaire, the SHSL Camerawoman. That’s the names of all the female students. It could be any of them,” I say.

Harold sighs and the the nighttime announcement plays. “It’s getting late. Tomorrow, he should have more information for us. Let’s go to bed for now.” Harold gets up and shuts the laptop. Him and I head to our rooms for the night after we share some goodbyes.

Cassidy stopped me before I entered my room and put something into my hand. It...was a knife?!

My eyes widen and I look at her. “Cassidy, what the hell?!” I whisper harshly.

“I stole this from Monokuma,” she says. “And I want you to keep an eye on it. It’s too suspicious with me.”

She walks off without me being able to get in any questions. I look down at the night and frown before heading into my room.

I put the file back under my pillow and put the knife in a drawer at my desk. I lay down. My stomach felt like it was starting to do flip-flops and I was a little warm. It must be all he stress. But I somehow manage to sleep through it all.


	32. Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in end notes!

I felt sick throughout the night. I wake up after a fever dream, feeling dazed. My door was opened. I didn’t leave it like that. Someone was in my room. I couldn’t see most of them. They had on a blue jacket. It was unfamiliar to me though. A knife gleams in the light from the hallway. I could feel their hand under my pillow. The knife was near my throat. My eyes drift shut again.

When my eyes open, the door was shut. My room was empty. They drift shut again and I fall asleep completely until the next day.

———————

I wake up with a jolt, sitting up quickly. Was that all a dream? Did that really happen? I look around. The room was empty. I check under my pillow buthe file was still there. I pull myself out of bed and get ready. I notice that the morning announcement hasn’t played as I leave my room.

I find that no one was in the cafeteria. Was it really that late? I sigh and head to the gym to see if someone was there. And I was right. Everyone but Sasha and Cassidy were here. And...Monokuma was on the floor!

Harold was currently taking him apart. The others stood around and watched. Rick was currently kicking his severed head. Jess was helping keep the parts organized. Patrick. Simply watches.

Rick spots me and smiles “Wayne, you’re awake!”

The others look over. “What are you guys doing..?” I ask.

Harold stands up and adjusts his glasses. “I found Monokuma in here. He was deactivated. I’m reverse engineering him right now. Rick is taking out some aggression on his head and Jess is helping me keep everything organized,” he explains.

“What’s Patrick doing?” I ask.

“Staying out of the way in case we die,” Patrick says casually.

“Well, if no one is controlling Monokuma,” I say, “then we should try to get into some of those rooms he has locked.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jess says. “Would you mind meeting us at the headmaster’s office then? We should finish up here first.”

I nod and leave them all behind as I head up to the headmaster’s office. But on my way there, I stop. There was blood on the data peocessing room door. A lot of it.

I stared silently for a moment. The blood trailed along the floor and up to the fifth floor. I follow them quietly.

The blood trail stopped in the biology lab. One of the cabinets was leaking blood. It was still unlocked.

I walk up to the cabinet slowly. The handle was bloody, so I was careful to grab the dry part. And then I pull open the cabinet.

Sasha stared up at me, laying on her back. Her neck had been sliced open from one end to the other, blood no longer flowing from it. Her face was pale and frozen in a look of pain and shock.

My eyes widen and I scream loudly, stumbling back and crashing into the table in the room. I felt my legs give out from under me and I had to lean back on the table for support.

I heard people run in after a moment, probably hearing me scream. And then...the body discovery announcement plays, just like usual. Monokuma must be back in action. But that wasn’t what was important right now. What’s important is that Sasha Davis, the SHSL Comic Artist, was dead.

**Killing School Life - Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again**

The last person entered the room and froze stiffly as he walked in. It was Rick. I peel my eyes away from the body to look at him.

Rick stood there in total silence for a moment, trying to process what he was looking at. And then a loud, panicked scream rips its way out of him. He backs into the wall, grabbing at his hair. I saw true fear in him.

Jess had to take Rick out of the room to try to console him, leaving me to look around with Harold and Patrick. I didn’t have much to say to either of them.

I walk over to Sasha’s body. She looked cold. Blood soaked her but it all looked dry by now. There were bloody handprints on the handle of the cabinet she was stuffed in. Someone had also put blood over the green light, making it appear more red like the cabinets that were locked.

Other than the slash to her throat, Sasha also had many stab wounds along her back. I didn’t feel like taking the time to count them, but whoever did this didn’t hold back at all. I notice her hand was clenched into a tight fist, but I didn’t want to mess with her hand.

Bloody footprints led into the room, their source coming from the blood around the door of the data processing room. But they were gone after that. At least, I thought so.

During my scavenging, I found the rest of the footprints. They were in front of Cassidy’s bedroom. I open the door, which didn’t have any resistance.

The footprints disappeared once I actually entered the room. The shoes didn’t look like anything Cassidy would wear. But why were the footprints like this? It didn’t make any sense...

I had left her room without touching anything and returned to looking around. Inside the garden, it looked like one of the trowels was bloody. It was stuck into the dirt near some bushes. It looked freshly dug.

I use the trowel to unbury the object. I pull a bloodied knife out of the dirt. It was the same knife the person from last night had wielded. It looks like the one Cassidy handed me yesterday. That proved that had been no dream, at least.

I head back to the biology lab to see that Patrick had pried something out of Sasha’s hand. It was a small key that he studied carefully. “Let’s go open something.”

“Should we go get the others?” I ask him.

He sighs deeply. “Fine, I’ll do it. Here.” He puts the key into my hand and leaves.

After a bit, everyone was together with the exception of Cassidy. No one had been able to find her. Rick was totally silent right now, his hood pulled tightly over his face. Jess was leading him along.

We try the headmaster’s office first. No good. The key didn’t even fit. We go to the data processing room instead. There’s a click and the door opens. The five of us walk into the new room to see what we could find.

The room was filled with screens. Every single one showed a different room. “This is how the mastermind has been keeping an eye on us,” Harold says.

I walk over to a table. Sasha’s sketchbook was sitting on it. There’s as a splash of blood on it, obscuring whatever she had drawn on the page.

Jess walks over to a TV. “Everyone, look. Maybe we can see what’s on.” She looks around it for an on button.

Patrick scowls. “Jessica, why on Earth do you care about that?”

Jess doesn’t listen and turns on the TV. And what we see is...us staring at the TV.

We all approach the TV, trying to get a better look as if to confirm it. Cassidy walks into the screen and we all turn around. She stood there, looking as serious as ever. I look up at the camera in the room. 

“Cassidy, where have you been?!” I demand.

“I’ve been working,” she says. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be around to help with the investigation.”

“That’s not at all suspicious,” Patrick says.

The trial announcement plays. I frown a little. This whole investigation felt...shorter than normal. But we all head to the elevator anyway.

When we got there, Rick snapped. “No!” he screams. “No! I won’t do it! I won’t do it again! You can’t make me!”

Jess tries to calm him down but he runs off screaming.

“He’ll show up if he doesn’t want to die,” Patrick says. “Come on.” Jess hesitantly gets in the elevator with the others.

Cassidy stops me before we enter, letting the other three go ahead. “No matter what it looks like, I am not responsible,” she says to me. “I’m finally getting close to solving this thing. So...I’m sorry for anything that might happen.” She walks off to the elevator. I frown a bit and follow.

The elevator begins moving down. Nothing about this felt right. There was something wrong here. And I needed to figure out what. The elevator shudders to a stop and the doors open. It was time for the fifth class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neck gore


	33. Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again - Killing Life Trial

We all step out of the elevator and into the trial room. Rick was here already, shaking at his podium and looking panicked. Nancy and Sasha had been given pictures for their podiums as well with their faces crossed out.

“Rick? When the hell did you get here?” Patrick asks him.

He shakes his head slowly. “I-I don’t know...” he murmurs. “I just fell and...and dropped in here...”

“No one gets to skip out on the trial!” Monokuma demands. “Now let’s hurry up and get this thing going! You’re wasting time!”

What was with the sudden rush? Everyone goes to their podiums.

“We should start with the body,” Harold begins. “To put it simply, Sasha was brutalized. Multiple stab wounds to her back and sides and her throat slit.”

“Sounds to me like this killer wanted her to suffer,” Patrick says. “One of you must have really held a grudge over her.”

“Not to mention putting her in the cabinet and putting her blood over the light,” Jess murmurs. “This entire thing was disgusting...”

“The killer must have wanted us to find her,” I say. “That’s why they left the trail and made it clear where she was. It’s like this was meant to be a message.”

“Message received,” Cassidy says coldly.

“I also found the murder weapon buried in the garden,” I say.

“Why would the killer bother trying to hide the weapon?” Harold asks. “They clearly weren’t concerned with hiding the body.”

“E...Evidence...” Rick murmurs softly. “Strong...evidence...”

“That would make sense,” Cassidy says. “Burying the knife would mean that the knife was some key evidence.”

“I don’t think anyone but Wayne saw the knife,” Jess says. “So it doesn’t help much like that...”

“Maybe we should try to discuss what Sasha might have been doing,” Patrick says. “After all, the locked room’s door being covered with her blood? Very suspicious.”

“Sasha’s notebook was in the data processing room,” I say. “And the key had been in her hand when we found her. So...she must have been killed as she was leaving.”

“But wasn’t her blood on the notebook?” Harold counters. “Wouldn’t that mean the killer entered the room?”

“It’s possible the killer has their own way in,” Patrick says. “Monokuma mentioned something important being stolen from him. I doubt Sasha would hide the key from us, so I think she got it that night.”

“So you’re saying the killer is someone who had a way into the room?” Jess asks.

“Potentially,” Patrick says.

“Sasha must have left after seeing the TVs,” I say. “She was probably coming to tell us.”

“That TV showed us on it...” Harold mutter softly. “Are we being broadcast..?”

“How can that be true? Surely someone would help us!” Jess demands.

“S-Someone...Someone watching...has to be...” Rick murmurs.

I frown. “But How will we—?”

“It’s time to vote!” Monokuma yells out, currying me off.

Everyone looks at him in shock. “What...What are you talking about..?” Harold asks.

“You heard me!” he yells. “Vote! Vote now!”

“But that’s not fair!” Jess demands. “We haven’t even—“

“VOTE!” Monokuma screeches, cutting her off.

This was weird, even for Monokuma. He’s never rushed us like this before. What was going on with him?

“Cassidy is the most suspicious out of us all,” Harold says. “Besides, she hasn’t told us her secret. The potential of a motive revealing it was probably enough for her.”

“I’m not the only one,” Cassidy says. “Wayne never revealed his secret either.”

“Then that leaves two suspects, doesn’t it?” Patrick says.

“H-How do we know who to pick..?” Rick asks softly.

“Cassidy is still the most suspicious!” Harold says. “If we have any bets to make, its her!”

I knew something that didn’t reflect well on Cassidy. I don’t know if it proved anything, but if I mentioned it, I knew everyone would chose her. But still...

“Guys, something about this trial feels off...” I say.

“What do you mean?” Jess asks.

“Think about it. The way it’s being rushed, the short investigation, all the weird evidence,” I explain.

“I don’t hear voting!” Monokuma yells. “Vote! Vote now! VOTE OR I KILL YOU ALL!”

“If memory serves, Wayne had a knife the night of the murder,” Cassidy says. “I know he had one. And if the knife we found matches the one he had, it would be clear evidence against him.”

I look at her. “Cassidy..?” She didn’t respond or look at me.

“That...would explain why it was hidden,” Jess murmurs. “But...Wayne doesn’t even have a motive.”

“That’s it!” Monokuma screeches. “Votes in right now! Ten seconds or you’re all dead!”

“J-Just pick someone!” Rick screams. “It doesn’t matter!”

Everyone hurriedly puts their votes in. Monokuma was utterly silent.

“...the votes are in...” Monokuma says softly. “...and you’re all...correct! Wayne Little, the SHSL Fencer, is the killer!”

My eyes widen. “What?! But that’s not—!”

“So let’s give it everything we’ve got!” Monokuma says.

“This Trial has been rigged!” I yell. “This isn’t fair! This is a set up! Guys, think about it! Nothing about this has been right! Monokuma did this on purpose!”

“IT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!” Monokuma raises his mallet into the air and slams it down.

“No, wait!” I scream. I felt the chain clamp down tightly around my neck. It was cold and uncomfortable. I scream loudly as it drags me away and towards certain doom.

**Wayne Little has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

I stood in a long hall. At one end, a large screen had my name on it. The other end had a screen with Monokuma's name. The amount of matches won was on either, mine showing every victory I’ve had and Monokuma’s at zero.

I held my saber tightly in my hand. I felt nervous. I could feel sweat trickle down my forehead. Monokuma stood in front of me with his own saber. I had no way around him and nowhere to go. It was time for a match of life and death!

**The Ultimate De-fence!**

I back up a little. He rushes forward and our swords clash. His hit was strong and nearly threw my arm out. I keep backing up, Monokuma’s offensive onslaught keeping me from going forward. All I could do was dodge and defend.

Our swords continue to clash as I deflect his hits. I tried to get in a jab whenever I could, but Monokuma was too small and fast. He was fully capable of leaping around and dodging out of the way. I couldn’t go offensive, all I could do was stay defensive and hope he didn’t impale me.

Monokuma leaps up and jabs forward. It manages to hit my shoulder and I wince as it pierces it, drawing blood. I was getting backed up into a wall and soon I would have no more room. I dodge a jab going for my stomach and stumble back.

The screens that held my win rates flashes with a new picture. It was the AI Harold had set up in the second floor bathroom. The floor opens right behind me but I didn't notice. Monokuma jabs at me and I take another step back. My foot touches nothing and I fall, plummeting down into the dark pit with a short scream.

Everything went black. I saw nothing. All I could do is wait until I landed...and up above, the screens return to normal, and the zero under Monokuma’s name becomes a one.

**Chapter 5: A Familiar Story Told Again - Completed!**

Wayne???, ~~Betty~~ , Patrick, ~~Sasha~~ , ~~Nancy~~ , ~~Ike~~ , Harold, ~~Perry~~ , ~~Francine~~ , ~~Jamie~~ , Cassidy, Jessica, ~~Tyler~~ , ~~Rita~~ , Rick, ~~Tate~~


	34. Chapter 6: Farewell Forever, Hope’s Peak Academy! - Daily Life Investigation

**Daily School Life - Chapter 6: Farewell Forever, Hope’s Peak Academy!**

I wake up to a terrible smell that made me gag. It smelled like rotten trash! I sit up and look around. Oh...that’s because it was rotten trash. It seems I was in the trash disposal room, where our garbage went if it wasn’t being thrown into the incinerator.

I get up. I had been laying in a pile of trash bags. My saber was poking out of them and I grab it, shaking it off. There were some doors at the other end of the room, but one try let me see that they weren’t going to open for me.

I sigh. How long have I even been down here? I look up. I couldn’t see the top. I was starting to realize how thirsty and hungry I was. “The others probably think I’m dead...I’m going to die down here...” I sit down on an old chair I found and sigh. There was a strong pin in my arm from the stab wound. That was going to get infected if I didn’t get out.

There’s a crash as some garbage lands near by. I stand and look up then at the trash. It starts to move. “Ah! Trash monster!” I move away quickly.

A cold, annoyed voice comes from the trash. “That was incredibly rude. And to think I came to save you,” she says.

Only one person I knew had a tone like that. “Cassidy?”

She stands up from the trash, brushing some out of her hair. “Yes, it’s me.”

I run over and hug her tightly, nearly knocking her off her feet and throwing us into the garbage again.

“Christ, I thought I was going to die down here alone!” I say.

“Please get off of me...” she murmurs.

I quickly let her go. “Sorry. But...why are you even here?”

“I...” She sighs and looks away, crossing her arms. “I felt bad. For what I did. If it was any of the others, I wouldn’t have cared as much. But...” She sighs again. “Anyway, here.” She passes me a paper bag.

I open it. There was a small sandwich and a bottle of water and some medical supplies. I happily dig into the food.

Cassidy removes the medical supplies. She helps me clean up the wound on my shoulder.

Once I finish eating, the two of us go to the large doors and she unlocks it with a key she pulls from her pocket. I look at her curiously.

“Stole it from the bear a few days ago along with the knife the trial. It's a skeleton key,” she says.

She opens the door and we walk through. “So you were the reason Monokuma was so angry?” I ask.

She nods. “I am. He must have thought Sasha stole the key when she entered the data processing room.”

“Wait...so you’re saying the mastermind killed her?!” I say in shock.

“Exactly,” she replies.

We reach the end of the room. The only way to go was up. Rungs built into the wall traveled straight up and disappeared into the darkness. And we begin to climb.

After some time, we rest on a ledge. I was drinking from an extra water bottle Cassidy had packed. She sweeps her hair from off of her shoulder. “SHSL Criminal Investigator,” she says suddenly.

I look at her. “Huh?”

“My talent,” she clarifies. “I’m the SHSL Criminal Investigator.”

That...actually made a lot of sense for her. I should have been able to guess something like that.

“I grew up helping the police or working independently to solve the different crimes that do commonly plagued our city. From TV, it looked like it would be fun or interesting. The real stuff is...well, you’ve gotten a taste of it. Let’s keep going.” Without another word or much more explanation, she gets up and begins to climb again. I follow her, not asking anything else.

We get to the top and she pushes open a hatch. The two of us climb out. I look around after shutting the hatch behind me. We were back in the garbage room. The two of us head out and go to the cafeteria.

Patrick, Harold, Rick, and Jess were all sitting in here. They were all pretty gloomy. Well, Patrick wasn’t, but that was normal for him.

“I can’t believe we did that...” Jess says softly.

Rick nods. “We should have known Monokuma set us up,” he says bitterly. Harold looks as Cassidy and I walk in. “He’s alive!”

“Oh, that’s boring,” Patrick says blandly.

Three of them rush over to give me a hug but stop. They back up. “You reek!” Rick says, covering her nose. I sigh and go shower before quickly returning. Then they hug me.

After some apologizing, I look to Cassidy. “We need to get Monokuma,” I tell her and she nods.

“Monokuma!” She calls out. And he appears. That was easier than I expected. Was he waiting for us?

Monokuma looks at me angrily. “What are you still doing here?! You should be rotting with the trash!”

I shake my head and step closer. I was done with this. “We know you rigged that entire thing, Monokuma! You lied to us! You lied to your audience! Your trial was rigged!” I yell angrily.

He looks nervous. “W-Well what do you want to do about that?!”

“I want a final trial!” I say. “One where we prove you killed Sasha and show who the mastermind is! We’re ending it here, bear!”

Everyone stands next to me. They were on my side.

Monokuma looks at us all and growls. “Fine! I’ll unlock all the rooms, too. So please, go explore. I’ll be waiting for when you’re ready!” He disappears.

Everyone goes off to look around. Me and Cassidy go for the most obvious place. The headmaster's office. We walk in and begin to search. Cassidy pulls out a few files and begins to flip through them.

“Well, this is certainly interesting,” Cassidy says.

I look at her and walk over. “What did you find?”

“It’s a file about memory erasure,” she says. “Written by the school’s very own SHSL Neurologist.”

“What the hell is something like that doing here?” I ask.

Cassidy sets the file down. “Who knows? I suppose we’ll find out in time.”

She pulls out more papers. They all looked like contracts. “Physical and digital copies have been kept, as well as recordings of verbal agreement,” Cassidy reads. “Each student who sighs this paper agrees to remain within the halls of Hope’s Peak Academy indefinitely or until they are told otherwise...”

Her brows furrow a bit and she begins to flip through the papers. “These are our signatures...”

I frown and look at the papers. Sure enough, I found mine. The signature was definitely mine, I’d recognize it anywhere. “I never signed this...” I mutter.

Cassidy sets them down. “Neither did I. As far as I can remember.” She returns to searching.

I find the headmaster’s laptop. It needed a password. “There has to be a code around here someone...”

I begin to search for the password. I spot a picture on the desk. It was him and his daughter. “That looks like...”

I turn back to the computer and type in KYOKO KIRIGIRI. And it works. A wall in the back of the room opens up.

“That’s not what I was expecting...” I murmur.

Cassidy goes into it and I follow her. There was a box sitting on a table and I open it.

I yell out and drop the lid. There was a skeleton in it! Cassidy looks in and frowns. “I guess this is the headmaster...oh? What’s this?” She reaches in and takes out a e-handbook. “Interesting...it belonged to   
him.” She hands it to me. “Go see if this unlocks anything important.”

I nod weakly after a moment. I glance back at the box and quickly head off.

I go to the Data Processing Room first. I wanted to go into the Monokuma door in the back. As I grab the door, Monokuma pops up and I shriek.

“Hello, Wayne,” Monkuma says. “Are you scared of some glorified teddy bear?” He snickers into his paws.

That mocking, venomous tone was easily recognizable. “Patrick, is that you?” I ask.

The door opens and Patrick steps out. “Am I that identifiable?” he asks me. “I thought I could have more fun using Monokuma’s personal control room.”

The door clicks shut behind him and we both look at it. He tries the door, but it wouldn’t open.

“Too bad, so sad! You lose!” Monokuma says. “Shoulda looked a bit more closely and maybe you could have found me hiding! Oh weeeell!”

Patrick scowls angrily. “You mother fu—!”

I put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, calm down. It’s alright. We’ll get through this, just relax.”

Patrick scowls and jerks his shoulder away. “Whatever...” He walks off angrily. I sigh deeply and leave as well.

I find one more area on the first floor, at the end of the hall with the storage room. It was a staircase that lead up to the remains of a part of the second floor.

I could only get into a completely spotless bedroom and a locker room. In the locker room, I find that most lockers are broken. But the headmaster’s e-Handbook manages to get a couple open.

The first one I opened had books inside. They were all college level stuff. Nothing I could understand. The next locker had a sewing kit and some school work. A third one held several notebooks filled with information for crimes and school notes mixed together.

Are...these our lockers..?” I murmur softly. I shake my head in disbelief and step away. We never had actual classes in the school...did we..?

I head to the spotless bedroom and look around. This was clearly where the mastermind was sleeping. There was half-eaten food and the bed was used.

There was a notebook sitting nearby. It was filled with different motives ideas were possible killers and victims. I find the motives that were used. Names were curled, those who had killed and died. Other names were scratched out.

There was more information later on in the notebook. Everyone had their own page. Information about us was scribbled in as well as other things. _Patrick is good traitor material_ was one comment. _Make him team with Jess. Will betray her later._ was another. _Have Perry kill_ was another note. _Cassidy will be attracted to Wayne. Use this_ was also written.

This was insanity. It looked like the mastermind had everything planned ahead of time. These notes seemed to follow our every move. How could this be..?

I turn around. Monokuma was disappearing out the door. He left a photo on the ground. I pick it up and look at it. It was a picture of everyone in school uniforms smiling into the camera. They were in one of the classrooms.

Betty’s legs were blurry as she was sliding past everyone. Francine and Jess were grinning wide. Tyler and Rita were kissing in the back. Harold’s hair was being ruffled by Perry. Rick was falling out of the window with Sasha and Jamie trying to save him. Cassidy was in the back, looking away. Patrick was showing off a Bowser costume. Tate, Nancy, and Ike were all striking poses together. I smile a bit. But...then I realize something. I wasn’t in this picture. So...what did this mean..?

The trial announcement plays. I left, tucking the picture into my pocket as I did. No more time to think about that.

Everyone meets in the elevator and we head down. This was it. The final trial for our lives. A trial of hope and despair. We would get out of this. And we would do it together! The elevator shudders to a stop and the doors open. This was it. It was time for the final trial to begin!


	35. Chapter 6: Farewell Forever, Hope’s Peak Acadmey! - Final Trial Part I

We all take our places at the podiums. An extra podium had been added and Monokuma stood at it. It seems the bear would be participating in this trial. Made sense. This was his trial after all.

“Is everyone ready?” Monokuma asks. “I want to hear what exciting proof you have that I’m the killer. And remember, if you can't name who I am, it doesn't count!” He giggles into his paws. Was he enjoying this or toying with us? I couldn’t tell.

“Let’s start with your actions earlier that night,” Cassidy says. “When you tried to murder Wayne!” I frown.

The Mastermind tried to murder me? Wait...I remember that now! I thought it had been a fever dream, but there had been a person with a knife over my bed.

“Oh? And how do we know that wasn’t you?” Monokuma asks.

Cassidy frowns a bit. “What exactly are you getting at?”

“Well, I’m just saying...you have no back up. You’re the one claiming you saw me, But How do we know it wasn’t you in that room?” he asks.

“Because...I was awake when that person entered,” I say. “And what I saw couldn’t be Cassidy!”

“How much did you see?” Jess asks me.

“I saw a figure in a blue jacket holding the knife given to me,” I say.

“Wasn’t the knife handed to you by Cassidy herself?” Patrick asks me. “I don’t see how that proves anything.”

“Maybe not,” I agree. “But the killer was doing one thing that proves to me it couldn’t have been Cassidy.”

“Oh, and what would that be?” Monokuma interjects. “Aiming for your chest instead of your throat? You clearly have nothing useful to say.”

“Then why are you trying to interrupt me?” I ask him.

“Because you’re just saying useless crap!” Monokuma demands. “Hell, better stuff has come out of my black and white tooshie!”

“That’s enough, Monokuma! Stop trying to derail me!” I demand angrily.

“What don’t you make me, brat?!” he snarls, claws shining in the light.

I knew Monokuma was going to continue being in my way unless I made my way through his words right now.

“Cassidy is clearly the killer here!”

“Nothing she says can be trusted!”

“And you clearly have nothing important to say!”

“If you’d just give me a chance to get a word in, I can prove how the person that night wasn’t Cassidy!” I demand.

“I don’t believe a word of that!”

“How can you say something so baselessly?”

“The killer did nothing Cassidy wouldn’t do!”

“it’s time to cut through those words!” I cry out loudly.

Monokuma looks a bit startled by that. “Hey, what do you think you’re—!”

“The person that went into my room last night was reaching for the file I keep under my pillow,” I say. “Cassidy gave me that file and has no reason to take it away! It couldn’t have been her!”

Monokuma growls softly. “Alright, so maybe it wasn’t her that went after you that night. But that doesn’t prove she isn’t the killer! Just means she didn’t try to kill you.”

“The bear makes a good point,” Patrick agrees. “Cassidy didn’t attack you, fine. But she still could have killed Sasha either way.”

“I can always count on you to be antagonistic,” Monokuma says cheerily.

“This is so dumb, you’re clearly the killer...” Rick murmurs angrily.

“Until you can prove that, I don’t wanna hear another word from you!” Monokuma demands.  
“Besides, think for a second. Cassidy had bloody shoe prints going to her dorm room.”

“They were tennis shoe prints,” I say. “She doesn’t even wear those.”

“Are you saying you went through her closet?” Monokuma asks me. “Maybe you were looking for something more than shoes, too~!”

I blush darkly. “Wh-What the hell?! Shut up!”

“Just ignore the blabbering beast,” Harold says. “Isn’t there a way to prove the shoes markings aren’t hers?”

“Well, they did look awfully deliberate,” I say. “They stopped for a long time and only appeared at the bloody mess and at her door.”

“I don’t think Cassidy would do that just on a whim,” Jess agrees. “It just sounds like poorly placed evidence.”

“Another thing that bugs me is the knife,” I say. “It was definitely the one from my room and the killer hid it on purpose. If the mastermind was my attacker that night, they would still have the knife when they left.”

Monokuma growls angrily. “Hey, you can’t just—“

“Not to mention the notebook being left in the data processing room,” Patrick says. “Soaked in blood. The mastermind would be able to take it and set it in there because they would have access. They probably saw Sasha in there and wanted to get rid of her for discovering the room.”

Monokuma snarls angrily. “None of that matters as long as you don’t know my true name! If you can't say it, then it doesn’t even count!”

“That’s not even fair!” Rick demands. “We know it’s you, why does the name matter?!”

“Because I said so!” Monokuma shoots back.

It seems we didn’t have a choice but to name our mastermind and Sasha’s killer. So we’d have to go ahead and do that.

“That could be just about anyone,” Patrick says gruffly. “How are we supposed to know that?”

“We can narrow it down,” Harold says. “Alter Ego informed Wayne and me that there was someone else in the school. A girl from the class before us.”

“Well, that certainly does narrow it down,” Jess says.

“That might be why the mastermind tried to take the file,” Cassidy says. “It would make it easier to point how who they were.”

“So the mastermind was just trying to screw us over,” Rick mutters angrily. “Great...”

“I found the mastermind’s personal bedroom,” I say. “There was plenty of evidence in there.”

“Ooh? Like what?” Monokuma asks curiously, tilting his head.

“I found a notebook in your room filled with motive ideas,” I say.

“Wow, great detective work,” he mocks. “What’s next? Gonna prove I go to the bathroom, too?”

“It’s not just motive information,” I say. “It’s also filled with people who you expect to kill and die during the motives.”

“So I wanted to be sure to keep up with the game. Big whoop,” he says.

“There is one final thing about the notebook,” I say. “And that would be your information on all of us.”

This time, Monokuma has nothing snarky to say.

“Information? What information?” Harold asks me.

“It was guess work. The mastermind was trying to plan things out. Things to use against us, ways to manipulate us, and ideas for how to push us to the edge,” I explain. “And a lot of it was accurate.”

“How could the mastermind be able to predict all that stuff..?” Jess asks softly.

“Because they know all kinds of things about the human mind thanks to their talent.” I look at Monokuma, staring him right in the eyes. “Because Sasha’s killer and the mastermind of our killing game is Diana Freud, the SHSL Psychologist!”

Despite my accusation, Monokuma has nothing to say.

“Hey, aren’t you going to say anything? We’re accusing you here,” Harold demands.

Monokuma continues to be silent.

Patrick scowls. “Hey, we’re talking to y—“

A massive plums of smoke totally encompasses Monokuma. Everyone smiles their mouth and nose and looks away from it, a heavy gust blowing out with it.

We all look over as the dust begins to clear. A figure could be seen standing where Monokuma was. She had wild blond hair that fell down her back. She wore an old, blue jacket that seems to large for her, having the sleeves cover her hand and the coat fall down to her knees. She wore a white dress shirt under it and brown work pants. She wore old looking sneakers.

Her eyes were tired and half lidded. They looked caring and understanding, but I could feel a cold, piercing gaze just below that. It felt like she was staring right into my mind and listening to my thoughts.

In her arms, she now held Monokuma. Her grip on him was gentle and looked comfortable.

“Well...I suppose you got me then,” she says sleepily, smiling gently. “That’s right. I’m the mastermind. I set all of this up on my very own.”

“So why did you do it?” Harold asks quickly. He got right to the question we all wanted to hear.

Diana looks to him like he just asked the dumbest question ever. She begins to smile slowly. A quiet giggle works its way out of her. The smile grows until she had a wide, crazy grin that spreads across her face.

“Why...did I do it..? Ha...aha...ahahahahaHAHAHAHA!” She breaks into a loud, crazed laughter, as if what Harold just asked was the funniest thing in the world.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She cries out through the laughing. “I did it for the despair! I did it for _her_!”

Rick shakes his head, looking scared. “Sh...She’s insane!”

Patrick frowns gently. “Who is this ‘her’ you’re talking about?”

She looks at him. “Oh, that’s right. None of you know her! I guess I should have expected that. Oops! The one I’m talking about...is the person who introduced me to such great despair. Something I can never forgive her for and can never thank her enough for...something I hate her for and love her for...something terrible and yet so wonderful!”

She looks at us all. Her eyes were wide now and they swirled with insanity. “I’m talking about the SHSL Despair herself! The late Lady Junko Enoshima! AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”


	36. Chapter 6: Farewell Forever, Hope’s Peak Acadmey! - Final Trial Part II

Junko Enoshima. She had been one of the crossed out faces from the other class. I remember her talent was listed as the SHSL Fashionista. What was A SHSL Despair? It couldn't be anything good if it made some girl pull this off.

She frowns and looks to all of us. “At least until those losers from the first killing game won. They’re disgusting hope beat her and she died in the end! But I don’t have to worry about that...because things will be different! I’ll avenge Lady Junko Enoshima! The mutual school killing game will end exactly like it should have and the entire world will see it!”

This girl was completely insane. But that must be who that other class was. The one with the crossed out faces. And Junko Enoshima, the apparent SHSL Despair, was the one who ran it the first time? How could something like this happen twice and still be shown to the world?

“I even made sure to copy a few things from her,” she says. “And you all played very well into that! It was so boringly easy and predictable that it fills me with such a horrid despair!”

Harold frowns a little bit. “What...What did you copy..?”

“Oh come no, I’m sure you can all figure that out!” she declares. “You’re smart kids! So you tell me what I copied from the last Killing game!”

I frown a little. Why was she making us figure this out like this?

“Wayne, you mentioned a notebook,” Cassidy says. “Can you use that at all to figure it out?”

“...Patrick, you were picked as the traitor by Monokuma himself, right?” I ask him.

He nods. “Yeah, that’s correct.”

“And then you were told to go befriend Jess, weren’t you?” I ask him.

He frowns a tiny bit. “...yeah...”

“Diana knew you would betray Jess later on. That’s why she had you do it,” I say. “That was a part of her plan.”

Patrick looked very uneased by that. “I...I thought...I swear to god I was in control...”

Diana giggles a bit. “Isn’t it totally awesome to know all of your actions were planned by moi? The despair from that must be overwhelming for someone like you! Oh, but that’s not all I did!”

“Perry and Harold, too, right?” I ask her.

Harold looks up at me. “What..? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Diana picked a motive to make Perry kill,” I say. “So that you would...” A idea strikes me. “...Harold, where did you find the code for that AI?”

Harold frowns softly. “I...found it in the library,” he says.

“Had it been there before?” I ask him.

He shakes his head slowly. “Not that I can recall...”

“Isn’t technology just the coolest?” Diana asks. “I mean, we even have people making totally independent AI! Chirhio was kind enough to leave the coding for it just laying around and I decided I might as well put good use to it!”

“So you knew about it the entire time?” Harold asks her.

“Well, duh!” she says. “You guys weren’t very subtle about it anyhow. What do you expect me to think when you all go run off into the boy’s bathroom? Not a orgy, that’s for sure!! Ah, but we aren’t done here, are we?”

What else could Diana be talking about? Well...except for...

“Cassidy...” I say softly. “...who gave you the idea to come rescue me?”

Cassidy didn’t say anything. She had a stunned looking on her face.

“Cassidy!” I demand loudly.

“...M...Monokuma...” she says softly. “It was Monokuma’s idea...”

“Honestly, Cassidy did such an amazing job with everything!” Diana gloats happily. “Taking that stuff with me and dumping the knife on you, knowing I’d attack so she could try to stop me! Then betraying you in that fake ass trial just to go save you later! Ah, it all worked so perfectly!”

A dark look crosses Diana’s face. “Except for...one small variable...that girl, Sasha...”

“What are you talking about..?” Jess asks nervously.

“Sasha did something...unpredictable,” Diana says. “She got that key from me and used it to look into the data processing room before she was meant to. I had to stop her when we bumped into each other outside. I was going to kill off Rick, but I guess that's just the power of his luck!”

Every moment of our time was all controlled by her. Some high school girl managed to manipulate everyone in this game from the very start to doing everything for her. And she did it so flawlessly.

Diana grins wide. “Isn’t there an amazing despair knowing nothing any of you did was of your own volition? To think that every moment of your time here was planned out and manipulated by me from the start! Just for some cheap rerun if a precious Killing game!”

Rick shakes his head slowly. “So...you did all of this just for some dead girl?!” he demands.

She laughs and nods excitedly. “Yes! And she would be so proud of the work I’ve done!” She wraps her arms around herself. “The only thing more delicious than the despair I feel is the praise of Lady Junko Enoshima...she wanted the world to feel despair as amazing as this! And I’ll be sure to see it through, no matter what! I hate her so much and that’s why I want to do this for her! Nothing fills me with greater despair than working for her!” She looks back to us. “You still have a couple more secrets to solve.”

“Then I’d like to start with this photograph,” Patrick says, pulling it out of his pocket. It looked like a picture of everyone at some kind of festival. I was pulling Cassidy along to go to some kind of stand. Rick, Ike, and Nancy were playing a game together with Rick beating them both. Sasha, Jamie, Tate, and Betty were all part of a cheering squad. Francine was showing off her outfit and Jess seemed to be copying her. Perry was focused on some colorful lights while Harold tagged along, not as interested. Rita and Tyler were kissing under a cherry blossom tree. But Patrick was nowhere to be seen in the photo.

Rick pulls out a picture too. “That looks like mine, except I'm not in mine. You are.”

Rick’s photo looked like it was during gym class. I was training with Nancy, Tate, Ike, and Betty by doing laps with Betty way out ahead of everyone. Harold was sitting off to the side with Jamie, both of them reading instead of participating. Cassidy was climbing a rope with Patrick holding onto it. Francine was worrying about her makeup and Jess was trying to calm her down. Perry and Sasha were taking turns doing pull-ups. Rita was doing sit-ups with Tyler being a spotter. Similar to Patrick, Rick was nowhere in the picture.

“Um...I got one, too...” Jess murmurs and also pulls out a picture.

It looked like some kind of party. Rick was sprawled out on the floor, surrounded by the contents of a snack table. Betty was slipping on some food with Nancy and Ike trying to catch her. Sasha and I were attempting to help Rick up. Francine looked wet, soaked in punch. Patrick and Jamie could be seen laughing at her. Harold was reading off to the side with Perry trying to pull him into the group. Tyler was making silly faces with some of the spilled food, causing Rita and Tate to laugh. Cassidy just had her face in her hands, looking defeated by the whole mess.

Harold pulls out his own wordlessly. It was the middle of art class. Perry was busy painting away on a large canvas and Sasha was helping him out with it. Jamie seemed to be trying to join in. Rick was coated in paint and some of it had splashed onto me and Cassidy. Ike was busy shooting a canvas with paintballs that Nancy and Betty were holding up. Tate was trying to draw a soccer ball, but he wasn’t doing a good job. Patrick was busy designing costumes instead of anything else. Jess was helping him with it. Francine was taking pictures of herself with her phone nearby. Rita was trying to get into the picture, though. And Tyler was carving some wood on his own.

I pull out my photo, too. “I...have one, too. Why do we all have these?”

“I don’t remember any of you,” Jess admits. “I don’t even remember getting into the school for more than a second.”

Cassidy shakes her head and sighs. “You’re all so dense. Those are obviously fake. Made to cause distrust among us all,” she says with a hint of anger to her voice.

Diana just shakes her head. “Nope! This are completely, totally, 100% real!”

I look at her. “What? How can these be real? We never even made it to the school!” I demand.

She grins wide and grabs a remote. “Oops, did I forget to turn these silly things on?” She gestures to the TV screens on the walls and presses the power button on the remote. All the TVs come to life. What I saw...I couldn’t believe.

The world was in complete turmoil. People were rioting. Buildings were on fire. Wars were raging. And Monokuma was everywhere...as a symbol of complete and utter despair.

“There’s...no way...” Harold says softly. “This can’t be real...” He shakes his head in disbelief.

Jess stares at the screens in shock, a hand over her mouth. “Wh...What..?”

Diana giggles a bit. “What? Don’t believe me? You all got to watch the world burn,” she says. “And then you locked yourselves in the school as a poor attempt to hide from it.”

Cassidy scowls, looking furious. “That’s impossible! We’d remember something like this!” she demands.

I knew that wasn’t true. Even she should. “Not unless we lost our memory. That report we found on memory erasure...it was used on us,” I say.

Cassidy looks at me. And then she’s hit with the realization. “No...” she says softly.

Diana nods quickly. “Yes! I took all of your school memories with the information provided by the ex-SHSL Nuerologist! You’ve been murdering your best friends this whole time trying to escape from a place you contractually agreed to live in. All that time you spent getting along and having fun means nothing now! Isn’t the despair from that knowledge amazing?!”

Everyone was silent in total shock. A felt a shudder run through my body. Rick had his hood pulled over his head and the drawstrings pull tight. Patrick was holding onto his podium with a tight grip. Harold stared at the screens in silence. Cassidy was struggling to find words to say. Jess was starting to cry quietly.

Diana moves on. “Now then, since this is the end of the game, things are going to work differently with the vote! Today, you will vote for hope and despair, just like they did with Lady Junko Enoshima! If all of you vote hope, then you can all leave the school and brace the outside world and I will perish. The air purifier will turn off if I die, and let me tell you that getting it to work after the last game was not easy, so I wouldn’t suggest staying here for more than a week afterward. But, if even one of you votes Despair, you will all live in this school for the rest of your natural lives! No murder needed! And just so we don’t leave our audiences wanting more, I’ll execute one of you! And I pick...” she looks around the room. “...you!” She points right at me.

I shrink back. “Wh-What!? Why me?!” I stammer nervously.

She smiles. “Because I hate you the most, of course! You have more hope than the rest of them and that’s just no good!” she says.

I shake my head. “There’s no way my friends would vote for despair!” I look around at the others but...no one would meet my eyes. They weren’t seriously thinking about this, were they?! They wouldn’t really kill me!

“G-Guys..?” I say softly. No one says anything.

Diana giggles softly. “Aw, is poorly lil Wayne losing hope in us goodie-two-shoes friends? Isn't that just despairful?” she teases. I don't look at her.

“Such amazing despair all around!” she cheers.

“What despair..?” I say.

She looks at me, confused. “Huh?”

I look up at her. “I won't let you win this! Despair is no match for hope!” I yell out. I look around at the others. I had to show them the truth or we’d be stuck in this hell forever! I had to do this for them!


	37. Chapter 6: Farewell Forever, Hope’s Peak Acadmey - Final Trial Part III

“Rick!” I say. “Don’t give up on me, man!”

He had his hood up still. He glances at me, tearing up. “But...what if there’s really nothing left out there? Even so, all I’ll do is make everything worse! That’s all I ever do!” he cries out. “Everyone died because of me! We’ll all die out there if I leave!”

I shake my head. “No Rick, that’s not true! You’ll make everything better! Even if your luck doesn't work for you, that’s what you always want to do! You want to make everything as good as possible for everyone! You can’t do that locked up in here! You have to come with me, because with your luck, you can do anything!”

Rick looks up at me. He blinks and wipes his tears away hesitantly. He slowly pulls down his hood. “Y-You’re right...you’re right! I can do anything! I can make everyone’s lives better! I just...I have to try!” He leaves his podium and walks over to me.

I look to Harold. “Harold, you can’t stay locked up in here,” I tell him.

He takes off his glasses and dries his eyes. “Perry died in here, Wayne. I...I can’t leave him all alone...” he said softly. He dries his eyes again. “He might have left me...but I’m not leaving him. I can’t do that...”

“Perry wouldn’t want you to stay here, Harold!” I tell him. “He’d never forgive you for doing something so stupid! You're the SHSL Child Prodigy, so make the smart choice!”

Harold puts his glasses back on. “Perry...what would he say right now?” He asks. 

I smile softly. “The world is a dumber place without you, Young Harold. Once you really show it what you’ve got, you’ll do amazing things!” I say in a Perry impersonation.

Harold tries not to laugh. “Yeah, that’s what he would say.” He walks over to me.

I look at Jess. She was sobbing, both her hands over her mouth. “God...I can’t do this...” she says weakly. “What if my children are all dead? What about my dad?! I can’t face that. I just...I can’t...I can’t handle it...” she says weakly.

“So you’re just going to give up?!” I demand. “You’re stronger than that, Jess! You’ve been there for everyone every step of the way, no matter how awful each murder was! You never gave up and you can’t do that now! You know you can do it!”

Jess’s crying slowly came to a halt. “I...I did...d-didn’t I..? No matter what happened...I kept my chin up and continued on. So...So no matter how bad it is out there...I need to be able to support my friends. Yeah. Yeah! Yeah, I can do this!” She hurries over to me.

I look at Patrick. He was scowling, looking away from me. “You know your life means very little to me, Wayne,” he says simply. “I refuse to let myself die. If staying in this place is the safer option, so be it. That’s just what I’ll have to choice then.”

“Patrick, you know damn well that’s not what you want!” I demand. “This entire time, you’ve done nothing but try to beat Diana and get out! And now you’re just going to give up? That’s not you! We both know it isn’t! So don’t give her the control she wants! Take control back!”

Patrick was silent for a moment before smirking. “Ah, I figured you’d have something to say. Just consider that a little test to see if you’re really worth my time or not.” He walks over to me.

I look at Cassidy finally. She was shaking. She looked so...terrified. I had never seen her looks like way before.

“What’s the point, Wayne?” she says bitterly. “The world is gone. There’s nothing left out there! There’s nothing for us! It’s all hopeless!”

“It’s never hopeless!” I yell. “No matter how much despair takes over the world, hope will always live on! Hope never dies and we’ll take it out of here with us! We’ll spread it through the world and put an end to this all! We’ll do it together!”

Cassidy looks up at me. Her lips curl into a smile. A real, big smile. I had never seen her do that. A laugh escapes her. It sounded happy and warm, not like her usual cold and bitter laugh. She walks over to us.

Diana was fuming. “You can't do this to me!” She yells at us all. “This isn’t what was supposed to happen! You were supposed to lose!”

“It ends here, Diana!” I demand.

“Shut up!” Diana screams. “Shut the fuck up! Nothing is over! It won’t end like this! I won’t let it! All of you will sink into despair and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

I knew I had to take her down here. I’d get through any despair she could throw at us and show the light of hope for us all!

“We—“

“ _Despair for your memories!_ ”

“—will—“

“ _Despair for those you lost along the way!_ ”

“—not—“

“ _Despair for a world that’s gone forever!_ ”

“—DESPAIR!” I yell through her words.

“Shut up! Shut up already! Hope will lose! You can’t win this! The outside world is in Ruin! You’ll find nothing out there! You’ll all be engulfed by death and despair! Despair will win no matter what!” Diana screams.

“No, you’re wrong!” I yell out at her.

“Wh-WHAAAAAAT?!” she shrieks.

“You can’t beat Hope, Diana! Nothing can beat it! Not even despair!” I yell at her. “As long as we’re together, hope will always thrive! And we’ll be sure to take it with us when we leave!”

She holds the sides of her head and screams. “I can't fail her! I can't fail Lady Junko Enoshima!” She falls to her knees, head hung low. Her screaming dies off and it sounded like she was crying.

We were all silent as Diana slowly pull herself up to her feet and looks at us. A wide, crazed grin was plastered on her face. “This feeling...” she says softly. “The feeling when everything comes crashing down around you. My plan failed. I couldn’t avenge Lady Junko Enoshima. And none of this was easy, either. Starting that air purifier was difficult! Not to mention making sure everything ran smoothly and nothing was out of place. This feeling of despair...it’s amazing!”

She wraps her arms around herself and laughs. “I haven’t felt this much despair since I first met her! I’ve missed this feeling so much!” She looks at us all, still grinning. “And now...it’s Execution time!”

“No, you don’t have to do this! We wanted to stop the killing!” I demand.

“You little freaks will never understand the beauty of this feeling...” She reaches her hand out to the execution button. “Knowing I’ll die here...and join her...it gives me such Ultimate despair...I’m coming Lady Junko! I’m coming for—!” she gets cut off as she’s shoved out of the way by Rick.

He looks at us, panicked. Then at the button. And he reaches out and pushes it quickly. The button sparks and smoke starts pouring out of it.

Diana's eyes widen and she gets up, pushing Rick out of the way and pressing the button. Nothing happens. She starts mashing the button but nothing happens.

She looks at Rick, eyes shining with murder. “You bastard! What did you do?! I’ll kill y—!” She’s punched hard in the head and falls over, not moving. She was unconscious.

Jess frowns and rubs her fist. “And that one is for killing my friends...”

Jess and Rick walk back over to us. Patrick gives Jess a small smile. “Nice hit.”

Jess smiles back. “Ah, thanks...please don’t talk to anyone about this.”

I find a button in Diana’s pocket for the main door. Everyone smiles and we head to the elevator. Rick was the last to enter. He held Monokuma in his arms. The elevator starts moving upward.

Harold looks at it. “...why do you have that?”

Rick smiles sheepishly. “Oh! Well...I figured we could try to change his meaning. If we can make Monokuma into a symbol of hope, don’t you think we could try to fix everything..?”

Cassidy smiles a tiny bit. “Rick, that sounds like an amazing idea.”

Patrick stares at the bear quietly. Rick offers it to him. “Did you wanna hold him?” Patrick nods and takes Monokuma, petting the doll gently.

We get to the top. We all leave the elevator and go over to the main door. I stop. “Wait, I almost forgot!” I run off and back up to the second floor bathroom.

I enter the secret room and turn on the laptop. Alter Ego looks at me and smiles. “Hello, Wayne! Where is Harold?” It asks.

I lift the laptop up. “He’s waiting for us with the others...we’re finally leaving.” The laptop cheers as I walk back out.

I return to the others, passing the laptop to Harold. I take the button for the door and push it. The door begins to move open. “No matter what’s out there,” I say to the others, “we’ll face it together.”

They all nod. “Nothing will stop us!” Rick says cheerily.

“We’ll stay together till the end,” Harold adds.

“Our hope will shine through like the sun!” Jess pipes up.

“We’ll survive anything,” Patrick declares.

“No matter what happens...we’re a team...” Cassidy says softly.

I pull out the button and press it. The door finally open and we all step outside to face the new world together...

**Chapter 6: Farewell Forever, Hope’s Peak Academy! - Completed!**

Wayne, ~~Betty~~ , Patrick, ~~Sasha~~ , ~~Nancy~~ , ~~Ike~~ , Harold, ~~Perry~~ , ~~Francine~~ , ~~Jamie~~ , Cassidy, Jessica, ~~Tyler~~ , ~~Rita~~ , Rick, ~~Tate~~


End file.
